Interim Provost and Vice President for Research Joe Benson speaks to the large crowd at the CCBP Awards Program. Benson received the Distinguished Special Achievement in Engagement Scholarship award.
7th Annual Awards Program Concludes Highly Successful Engagement Scholarship Year at The University of Alabama
Fan Yang’s Heart Touch Project Promotes Cultural Understanding Between China and U.S.
The Center for Community-Based Partnerships celebrated its big day on Friday, April 26, at Hotel Capstone on the UA campus, recognizing the year’s top projects and scholars, while taking a look back on the University’s most successful year ever in the engagement scholarship field.
Here are some of the accomplishments and current and future plans outlined by several speakers at the seventh annual awards program, including Dr. Heather Pleasants, CCBP director of Communty Education (Pleasants gives highlights of 2013 academic year):
Distinguished Achievement in Engaged Scholarship
 Individual award-winning doctoral student Jackie Brodsky describes the work of ALFA (Accessible Libraries for All) during the poster session of the Seventh Annual CCBP Awards Luncheon. Brodsky also shared the prize with her mentor, Dr. Laurie Bonnici, in the Outstanding Student-Initiated Engagement Project category. |
 Dr. Karl Hamner, winner of the individual faculty/staff engaged scholarhsip award, tells the audience how he came to see the scholarship of enagement was best suited for his academic career. |
Outstanding Faculty/Staff Initiated Engagement Projects
Dr. Marcus Ashford, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering, gives a pep talk to Stillman Heights students just before their race car competition. Ashford is making math, science and engineering enjoyable and practical for his students in a course he calls Rockets and Race Cars.
 A student accepts the award for Outstanding Faculty/Staff Engagement Award for Practicum in Positive Youth Development and Civic Engagement, a partership between the UA psychology department and several community organizations working to improve the Holt community and develop student leadership. Dr. Jeffrey G. Parker is the instructor. |
 Fan Yang, shown here with Vice President Samory Pruitt, received an Outstanding Student-Initiated Engagement Award. Yang is a graduate student in social work. Her project, Heart Touch, helps students gain greater understanding and knowledge of other cultures. In one phase of the program Tuscaloosa students become pen pals with students from China. |
Students Kelsey Balzli, Jacquie McMahanon, Benjie Ladrillono, Julia Gardial and Haley Flanagan stand with Dr. Samory Pruitt, left, and Acting Provost Joe Benson with the certificate acknowledging their award winning ant-bullying project in the student-initiated engagment project category.
 Nancy Boyd, left, representing College Hills Baptist Church and its pastor Rev Kelvin Croom, and Colby Mouchette, student pastor representing Alberta Baptist Church and Pastor Larry Corder, accept an Outstanding Community Partner-Initiated project with Dr. Chandra Clark , right, in the TCF department of the College of Communication and Information Sciences. They developed and carried out a plan to save community history following the April 2011 tornado. Dr. Clark’s New Media class used photography, audio and video to capture Alberta City before and after the tornado. |
 Rev. Tyshawn Gardner and Dr. Karen Baynes-Dunning are flanked by Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president for Community Affairs, and Dr. Joe Benson, interim provost as they receive an Outstanding Community Partner-Initiated Engagement award for West Side Scholars Academy, which challenges young scholars to excel academically, socially and cognitively. The group will travel to Costa Rica for an international travel and study experience. Parents attend workshops one Saturday per month. |
Church members and ministers of the Saving Lives program accept their award at the 2013 CCBP Awards Luncheon on April 26. The group participated a pilot program that combines university and community resources in a program that uses faith, scripture and healthy habits to combat cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Participants: “Liveliest Awards Program Ever”
