Barbara Jacoby, Ph.D.

Date: Thursday, 9/17/09

Time:
12:00-1:30 PM
Central Daylight Time

Cost: $249
($274 after 9/10/09)

Three easy ways to register!

Online:

Phone:
800-433-0499
608-227-8182

Email:
support@magnapubs.com

System Requirements:
Computer with speakers, Windows Media Player and a broadband Internet connection

Questions about our online seminars? FAQ

Dedicated time for Q&A

During the seminar, Dr. Jacoby will respond directly to your questions, and invite you to share challenges, successes, and lessons learned while implementing civic engagement programs.

Who will benefit from this seminar?

• Provosts
• Academic officers
• Senior student affairs officers
• Faculty members across disciplines
• Student affairs professionals
• Directors of service-learning, community service, and civic engagement centers or programs
• Service-learning and community service staff members
• Civic engagement educators
• Leadership development educators
• Campus activities staff members

Invite others at no additional cost…

Make the most of your budget by inviting faculty members across disciplines to attend the seminar in one place–for one low price. Our low seminar price of $249 applies to the site, not the person, so you can invite as many people as you’d like to your seminar. It’s a great way to collaborate across campus and begin your civic engagement initiative.

Promo Code: MA9SL3

Featured Higher Education Presenter:
Barbara Jacoby, Ph.D.

College students do not need to be told to care about social issues–they already care, says Barbara Jacoby, author of the new book Civic Engagement in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices (Jossey-Bass, 2009). They do not, however, always believe they have the power to affect change.

Jacoby, Senior Scholar for the Adele H. Stamp Student Union-Center for Campus Life at the University of Maryland, College Park, will show institutions how they can teach students to make lasting differences in her September 17 online seminar Civic Engagement: Best Practices & Tools You Can Use.

In preparation for the seminar, Jacoby recently spoke with Student Affairs Leader:

SAL: You’ve noted that students care about civic and social issues but at the same time believe they don’t have the skills to affect social issues and don’t have the power to influence the political process. Why do you think this disconnect exists?

Jacoby: Today’s students want to, and feel personally responsible to, make a difference in the world. They do not need to be told to care about pressing social issues–they already care. Students are civic-minded consumers (they boycott and “buycott”), they seek to work for socially responsible companies and organizations (specifically those that “walk the walk” and don’t just “talk the talk”), and they were passionate about participating in the November 2008 general election. They participate in community service in record numbers.

Too much of this service, however, is more about “doing something” than understanding and addressing social issues in a way that will make a lasting difference. We don’t do enough in terms of critical reflection, which helps students understand the root causes of the issues that drive the need for their service.

We also don’t do enough to encourage students to grapple with the questions of “So what?” and “Now what?” during and after their direct service activities. Providing food to homeless people is necessary to tide them over in the short term, but it doesn’t address the issue of why homelessness exists in the 21st century.

If colleges and universities are serious about preparing students to understand and tackle civic and social issues in a systemic and sustained manner, they need to provide opportunities for students to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and sense of efficacy that enable them to believe they can make a difference.

Unfortunately, opportunities to learn about and participate in civic engagement, like most other opportunities, are not evenly distributed or equally accessible to young people. Recent research indicates that opportunities for civic and political engagement are plentiful at some colleges and universities and quite rare at others.

As far as the political process is concerned, many college students vote, but they tend to view it as more symbolic than anything else. They are often disillusioned by the political system, because they find it inefficient, corrupt, and inaccessible to them.

SAL: You’ve also noted that having a clear definition of civic engagement is important. Why?

Jacoby: It’s important to have a clear definition because it’s hard to develop learning outcomes and programs to achieve them if you don’t have one. Civic engagement is often thought to be a synonym for “community service.” While community service is certainly part of civic engagement, civic engagement is a much broader concept and set of practices. I define civic engagement as acting upon a heightened sense of responsibility to one’s communities, which include campus, local, state, national, and global communities. Civic engagement includes such activities as developing informed perspectives on social issues, working with others to solve public problems, taking an active role in the political process, advocating for policies that address issues of concern to you, and, of course, engaging directly in activities that meet human and community needs.

SAL: From what you’ve observed on different campuses, how can most institutions enhance opportunities for students to learn about and practice civic engagement?

Jacoby: There are a lot of ways to do this. Some of these require relatively little in the way of resources or start-up time. Others require more in the way of time and resources but yield greater returns in terms of student learning. Here are some ideas:

• Add a critical reflection component to existing co-curricular programs or activities
• Take community service to the next level through advocacy, organizing, or policy work
• Help students view themselves as “problem solvers” rather than “problem identifiers”
• Integrate civic engagement into orientation or first-year seminars

Click here to listen to a preview!

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