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The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)
FIPSE Civic Education Academic Certificate Program
Minor in Civic Leadership
The Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement
http://www.tcnj.edu/%7Ecivic/
Unique:
Students upon completion receive transcript recognition for
this certificate program. To earn the certificate, students
must complete five courses, the requirements for the minor,
complete an intensive community based experience, and occupy
a community leadership position. The program places emphasis
on social and student developmental change through service,
community engagement, and leadership using interdisciplinary
connections and community-based re search. Beth Paul who founded
a three-part semester course that integrates service with a
specific organization currently directs the program. Other courses
include, Entrepreneurship for the Public Good, which focuses
on learning about social entrepreneurship and acquiring the
core analytic concepts and skills necessary to plan a social
enterprise (led by David Presnsky), a poverty course (led by
Nino Scarpati), a non-profit management program/course, a course
on leadership in public affairs, and Trenton Youth Community
Based Research Corps. Every student at TCNJ is required to participate
in community engaged learning, not just for this program alone.
Website Features:
The website offers links for faculty and students regarding
programmatic elements & service sites. It lists community
agencies by categories such as seniors, children, environment,
disabilities, food and non-profit. It is the home base of The
Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement, Civic Leadership
Development, and many other affiliated programs within and surrounding
TCNJ.
Program Objectives:
1. To enable students to relate beliefs, values, and intellectual
habits to their civic role in society. Such vision requires
deep understandings of ways race, ethnicity, and gender have
shaped local and global communities.
2. To provide a form of experiential education that enhances
classroom learning while directly addressing unmet community
needs.
3. To engage faculty interested integrating community engaged
learning; to provide assistance to faculty in all disciplines
and stages of development and implementation, including experienced
teachers and scholars seeking to transform existing course projects
and those who are new to this rewarding and effective pedagogy.
Structure/Governance:
The Office of Civic Leadership Development (CLD) fosters citizenship
and cultivates leadership for the public good by directly involving
students in community problem solving and critical analysis.
Working in partnership local community agencies, faculty, administrative
staff, student organizations, and the Bonner Center for Civic
and Community Engagement, we employ a developmental model that
integrates co-curricular and academic learning contexts. We
challenge students to serve and learn by examining the causes
and effects of social problems, assessing individual and collective
social responsibility, and applying knowledge and skills to
address a variety of social problems.
Relationship of Program to Institution’s Mission:
All TCNJ students are involved in 15-hour civic engagement experience
as part of the First Year Experience program. More than 30 non-profit
community agencies and schools provide a variety of direct service
opportunities for students (see Community Agency Handbook).
Upon completion of their civic engagement experience, students
participate in a guided reflection discussion led by Civic Engagement
Peer Advisors. Reflection discussions are designed to enhance
student learning through critical thinking about community problem
solving and exploration of cognitive and affective responses.
Thousands of students have performed more than 140,000 hours
of community service since the program’s inception in
1995. Moreover, assessments of student learning indicate that
most students believe their involvement benefited those they
served and helped them better understand their role as citizens.
Foundational Pillars:
Three curricular and co-curricular courses are integrated with
specific academic coursework relating to the minor in civic
leadership. The program is intense in that every student at
TCNJ is required to participate in community engaged learning,
not just for this program. Three of the five courses include
community engaged learning; some of these include ten hours
of service per week. The program requires 5 courses (15 credit
hours), which takes students two to four years, a multi-year
model, to complete within their academic career. The program
is developmental with two to three specific stages. The program
actively addresses issues of poverty in a variety of coursework
and community engagement practices. TCNJ requires every student
to do global work, so the program has global and international
components. The focus on community engagement and service work,
along with student reflection and experience working with non-profit
organizations, allow students to consider public policy. Interdisciplinary
by nature, the program combines courses with other departments
(which ones?).
Program/Course Architecture:
A Lead In Course – Two lead in courses
Poverty Course – Courses are offered in poverty &
led by Nino Scarpati
International Exposure – Coursework focuses on international
exposure (in process)
Full Time Internship – Required; service learning and
community engagement; first year students are required to take
a seminar and do 15 hours of service learning; Beyond freshman
year, students will take more than 15 hours over each semester.
Capstone Seminar – For juniors and seniors
Specific Courses of Study:
Two Foundation Courses (Examples include):
1. POL 207 Citizen Democracy
2. IDS 312 Downtown
3. SOC 355 Introduction to Urban Planning: Issues & Practice
in the U.S.
4. FSP 121-17 Let Them Eat Cake: Myths & Realities of Poverty
in America
5. POL 318 Urban Political Economy
Application Courses (Examples include):
1. Trenton youth Community Based Research Corps
2. Certificate in Public Leadership
3. Entrepreneurship for the Public Good
Additional Requirements:
1. Complete an intensive community engaged fieldwork experience
in addition to the work completed in application courses. The
experience must include a minimum of 300 hours. Examples include:
A. Part-time (300 hour) AmeriCorps volunteer
B. International service-learning experience
C. Bonner Community Scholar
2. Serve in a position with significant responsibilities in
a community engaged organizations
A. Program leadership role in a community nonprofit
B. Organizational leadership in an on-campus student community
engaged organization
C. Peer leadership role in an on-campus community engaged curriculum
program
Learning Outcomes for Students:
To demonstrate the knowledge of:
A. The complexity of community problems and the resulting complexity
of solutions for those problems.
B. The roles played by government, the nonprofit sector, and
the private sector in solving community problems and promoting
the public good
C. Social justice issues in the communities in which students
live and work
D. A community problem to analyze and identify underlying issues
E. How to plan, implement, and evaluate programs to address
a specific community problem
Strategies for Bonner Connection
http://www.tcnj.edu/%7Ebonner/
Role of Service: Yes
Student Leadership:
Bonner Community Scholars are dedicated to providing community
service as they develop their leadership skills through a variety
of community-engaged learning activities. The program began
in the 2004-2005 academic year and there are currently 19 Scholars
drawn from the first and second year classes and 2 Senior Interns.
Students’ participation in the program includes community
service (280 hours during each academic year) as well as curricular
and co curricular work that develops their skills as citizens
and community leaders. The scholars receive up to a four-year
tuition scholarship to support continued service and community
leadership, renewable annually as long as they remain in good
standing. Selection is based on exemplary previous community
service achievements and expressed interest in making a significant
commitment to develop community leadership skills while in college.
The application process is competitive and by invitation based
on application materials. The process for admission of our third
class of Scholars is taking place this year.
Community Partnerships:
Community based research includes students and faculty collaborating
with community organization to address a specific problem identified
by the community organization. In recent years, students have
designed primary research projects to provide information for
decision-making, completed planning and implementation tasks
necessary to develop programs, or conducted program evaluations.
Two ongoing community based research projects at TCNJ: Trenton
Youth Community Based Research Corps & Leadership in Public
Affairs. Community engaged learning enacts the College's mission
to develop graduates who will become community leaders. This
work involves a powerful partnership of community and college
in which students work with community organizations to address
community problems. The community gains the effort and expertise
of students; students gain knowledge of community issues and
leadership and technical skills from our community partners.
This is a developmental learning process for our students: over
the course of their college careers, they increase their knowledge
and skills by addressing similar issues several times, each
time in more depth. The students assume more responsibility
in their working relationships with community partners as they
develop expertise.
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