Scholars will participate in year-long program to collaborate on scholarly projects and lead equity-focused change.
Campus Compact this week announced the 15 faculty and staff selected as the 2022-2023 cohort of Engaged Scholars as part of its Engaged Scholars Initiative. The Engaged Scholars Initiative is a year-long collaborative learning and leadership program. Each cohort consists of a diverse group of early-career faculty and staff who are equipped to lead equity-focused change at their institution and in communities.
Scholars were selected from a highly competitive pool of candidates from Campus Compact member institutions. Scholars were nominated by institutional leaders and represent 14 institutions from 12 states. Members of the cohort hold a wide variety of roles on their campuses, but each has a demonstrated history of effective civic and community engagement work.
Liz Brandt, Community Engagement Director at the Bonner Foundation, works to advance campus-community engagement in higher education through designing and managing initiatives that support the Bonner Network’s 70+ colleges and universities across the United States. In 2021, Liz completed a M.S. in Higher Education with concentrations in Administration & Leadership and Educational Policy from Drexel University in 2021. Her master’s thesis focused on understanding the pathways and barriers faced by community engagement professionals, drawing on and delving more deeply into the field’s scholarship to conduct a quantitative study. Liz holds a Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology from Centre College where she was a Bonner Scholar for four years. She also served as the coordinator for civic and community engagement at Centre College prior to her role at the Foundation.
Over the course of the academic year, Engaged Scholars will participate in professional development, virtual learning opportunities, retreats, and individual support through mentoring and coaching. The aim of the program is to strengthen individual and collective scholarship, research, and impact.
“I am thrilled to welcome this year’s cohort of the Engaged Scholars Initiative,” said Nicole Springer, Director of Institutional Capacity Building at Campus Compact. “Our implementation team, made up of representatives from Campus Compact and the Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility at Swarthmore College, was impressed with the caliber of candidates for this cohort. We look forward to a year of connection, collaboration, and learning as we lift up the voices of this outstanding and diverse group of practitioner-scholars.”
“Since Liz’s arrival at the Bonner Foundation, we have launched the Bonner Community-Engaged Learning Initiative, providing opportunities for campuses in our network to apply for or use their enrichment funds on projects to advance curriculum, culture, and institutional change. Over the last three years alone, thirty-five institutions in our network have been involved in efforts to a) engage and educate faculty in course and curriculum change; b) create campus-wide policies, practices, and infrastructure; and c) enhance partners’ and students’ democratic engagement and involvement in collaborative projects and knowledge creation with their communities. Liz’s participation in the Engaged Scholars Initiative will expose her to new ideas and models outside of the Bonner Network. By interacting with other talented engaged scholars and practitioners in the field, Liz will deepen her own learning of community-engaged learning and scholarship. This will in turn bolster our efforts to transform higher education through sustaining community engagement and public scholarship” said Bobby Hackett, Bonner Foundation President.
The Engaged Scholars Initiative is led by Campus Compact and is offered in partnership with the Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility at Swarthmore College. The Lang Center at Swarthmore College is a strategic partner whose thought leadership, in-kind staffing, and financial support are critical to the success of the program.
Read more about the Engaged Scholars Initiative on the Campus Compact website at https://compact.org/current-programs/engaged-scholars-initiative.