CCBP Awards Banquet 2012
The sixth annual CCBP Awards Banquet was held on the University of Alabama campus on April 20. Photos below showcase the recipients of each award.
The sixth annual CCBP Awards Banquet was held on the University of Alabama campus on April 20. Photos below showcase the recipients of each award.
Click below to download a PDF version of nomination forms for the CCBP Awards Program.
Either print the PDF and send a hard copy to: Janet Griffith 254 Rose Administration, or email an electronic version to Janet at janet.griffith@ua.edu. All nominations must be received by 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 4.
Faculty and staff, students and community partners convened for the fifth Center for Community-Based Partnerships Awards Ceremony in Tuscaloosa on April 22.
Representatives of the Community Affairs Division of The University of Alabama presented awards for outstanding engagement activities initiated by students, faculty, and partners. David Wilson, the keynote speaker and president of Morgan State University, accepted an award for leadership in engaged scholarship.
More information to follow in subsequent posts.
Click below to download a PDF version of nomination forms for the CCBP Awards Program.
Either print the PDF and send a hard copy to: Janet Griffith 254 Rose Administration, or email an electronic version to Janet at janet.griffith@ua.edu. All nominations must be received by 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 6.
TUSCALOOSA "” The Center for Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP) will present awards for the best faculty-, student- and community-initiated projects during ceremonies Friday, April 22, at the Hotel Capstone on the campus of The University of Alabama.
The keynote speaker for the event will be the president of Morgan State University, Dr. David Wilson, a native of Marengo County and former vice president for University Outreach at Auburn University.
The program begins at 10 a.m. with poster presentations showing the variety and effectiveness of community-partnered projects during previous years as well as some that will be up for awards this year. The luncheon and awards presentation will follow.
"This will be our fifth annual awards program," said Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president for Community Affairs, who oversees outreach work at CCBP, which includes the areas of educational development, community development, and community research and communication.
"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Wilson back to Alabama. He was a leader in community engagement at Auburn University and at the University of Wisconsin-Extension before becoming the 10th full-term president at Morgan State," Pruitt said.
A widely published scholar, Dr. Wilson holds the doctorate in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University. One of 10 siblings living on a sharecropper farm outside the small town of McKinley in Marengo County, Wilson became the first person in his family to attend college.
Janet Griffith, assistant provost for communications, chairs the awards committee and program. "Nomination forms are available at www.ccbp.ua.edu or by visiting the CCBP or Community Affairs offices on campus," she said.
Nominations should be delivered to Griffith's office, 254 Rose Administration, by 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 6.
To propose a poster, e-mail Tommy Syx, a member of the awards committee, at tsyx@cba.ua.edu describing your poster. Posters may be original or presented earlier at completive events. The deadline for proposing a poster is Friday, April 1, with notification by Wednesday, April 6.
There is no charge for the program or luncheon, but registration is required. To register, send an e-mail to community.affairs@ua.edu, indicating your desire to attend. As attendance is limited to 200, early registration is recommended. If space is available, your registration will be confirmed by return e-mail.
The Center for Community-Based Partnerships is an initiative of the Office of Community Affairs. Its purpose is to provide leadership for campus and community projects that bring lasting benefits to both. Among the examples are the Parent Leadership Academy, a partnership between city and county schools and three divisions of the University; Black Belt 100 Lenses, a community identity, development and leadership partnership between CCBP and the Black Belt Community Foundation; and the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, a scholarly journal that publishes leading community engagement research. For more information, see www.ccbp.ua.edu.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ed Mullins, 205-246-3334
In a playful comment that drew enthusiastic applause and could signal future directions in academic research, a leading scholar told community partners and University of Alabama faculty, staff and students here Friday, May 1, 2009, that "publish or perish" may one day give way to "partner or perish."
Speaking to a crowd of about 200 at the Center for Community-Based Partnerships' third annual engagement scholarship awards luncheon, Dr. Hiram E. Fitzgerald of Michigan State University outlined forces pushing universities toward more active engagement with society.
This more active relationship, Fitzgerald said, "has generated a fresh vision about the democratic purposes of higher education and how universities contribute to the public good."
Quoting Alfred North Whitehead that " "¦ shielding a university from "¦ the world "¦ is the best way to chill interest and defeat progress" and that "unapplied knowledge is shorn of its meaning," Fitzgerald said the time has come for higher education to form partnerships that directly address society's most critical problems.
Although it could be said that the associate provost for University Outreach and Engagement at Michigan State University was preaching to the choir, the Hotel Capstone crowd gave him sustained applause when he concluded with the "partner or perish" observation, which he attributed to Dr. Barbara A. Holland, director of the National Service Learning Clearinghouse.
Following Fitzgerald's speech, Vice President of Community Affairs Samory T. Pruitt, who is also executive director of CCBP, began the awards ceremony by calling Fitzgerald back to the podium to honor him with the "Distinguished Special Achievement in Engagement" award. In doing so he recognized Fitzgerald's leadership as president of the National Outreach Scholarship Conference and leadership in a dozen other groups as well as for his hundreds of research papers, articles and books, and millions of dollars in research projects, much of it on behalf of infants and children.
Assistant Provost Janet Griffith presided over the awards ceremony, which recognized the best from campus and community for 2009. She was assisted in distributing the awards by Dr. Judy Bonner, executive vice president and provost, and Dr. Joe Benson, vice president for research.
Here are the winners:
CATEORY: Outstanding Faculty/Staff-Initiated Engagement Effort
The Creative Writing Club (CWC) was formed in 2004 by Prof. Behn as an outreach project of the M.F.A. in the Creative Writing Program. MFA students serve as mentors to Tuscaloosa area high school students and celebrate their creative writing achievements via public readings and publications. CWC demonstrates to the community the riches that result when top-notch graduate student writers interact with motivated young writers. Thanks to external grant funding, the program has grown to include 15 high schools, a summer Creative Writing Camp and a new course to train Alabama high school teachers in teaching creative writing. A high school textbook is being developed to capture the original creative writing lessons of Prof. Behn and her students.
This partnership between the School of Library and Information Studies and the Tuscaloosa Public Library provides 21st century information technology literacy training to senior citizens. Funded by a seed grant from the CCBP, the project allowed students to deliver information literacy skills to a population outside the library in partnership with community agencies. The program was evaluated at two levels: goals-based evaluation and instructional-based evaluation and is summarized in the paper, "Deconstructing Walls: Educating Students for Civic Librarianship."
A team-based wellness program emphasizing five health challenges:
"¢Eat five fruits and vegetables
"¢Drink five glasses of water
"¢Think five positive thoughts
"¢Move for 30 minutes five days a week.
"¢Lose five pounds per person
Launched by UA's Office of Health Promotion and Wellness in 2007 and repeated annually, the program originated as a campus-wide effort for the University community but expanded in 2007 to include community partners DCH Regional Medical Center, the City of Tuscaloosa, Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Inc., and the American Heart Association. The program is being adapted for use at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas. The partnership brought together more than 850 UA employees and some 1,000 Tuscaloosa community participants and continues to be shared with potential community partners via presentations at national conferences.
Dr. Parker led a UA interdisciplinary team in partnership with the Tuscaloosa Senior Ministry Association to foster collaboration among 10 community faith-based organizations to address gaps in services to senior adults and to promote greater use of existing local, state and national resources. Students worked with the group in interviewing local service agencies and local pastors/lay leaders and developed directories of resources related to aging. They completed a phone survey of 400 local church members regarding the services. Several presentations and publications have resulted from the work. Future plans include more interdisciplinary work with similar groups to develop caregiver support programs, life review programs and home visitation/transportation programs.
CATEGORY: Outstanding Student-Initiated Engagement Effort
Faculty leaders: Drs. Pauline Johnson and Philip Johnson
Students: Phillip Moncayo, Malcolm Abrams, David Bearden. Joseph Blackwell, Keith Blackwood, Lauren Blue, Conor Brown, David Dozier, James Elder, Bryan Fair, Robyn Gilstrap, Joseph Godwin, Josh Hamilton, Brian Hannan, Kristopher Harbin, Jennifer Hetherington, Jake Hinson, Gurunath Kampli, Agata Kargol, Ryan Maley, Nick McEwen, James McGee, Jason McGee, Rebecca Midkiff, Caleb Miles, Jameson Prater, Rakesh Salunke, Hunter Spurgeon, Andrew Steinmetz, Leslie Threlkeld, and Ben Welch
In collaboration with Kinterbish Middle School and residents of Cuba, Alabama, Engineers Without Borders (EWB) students and their partners planned, procured materials, designed and constructed a community baseball field. The partners assessed need, developed a plan taking into account health, safety and liability, documented their work, and implemented the plan. As with all EWB projects, the project effectiveness will be assessed and its application to other communities evaluated.
Faculty leader: Dr. Bruce Berger
Students: Mary Katherine Alsip, Mellie Bassett, Allison Bridges, Alex Cole, Sarah Beth Combs, Natalie Crawford, Laura Doty, Emily Eddleman, Ali Frederick, Jami Gates, Elizabeth Hard, Nathan Horne, Kara Beth Lawrence, Maeci Martin, Allison Milwood, Tyler Nance, Partick O'Rourke, Carla Pennington, Shanshan Qian, Sara Beth Ritchey, Adam Rogers, Meghan Stringer.
Responding to the needs presented by community partners including the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, the Literacy Council of West Alabama and Tuscaloosa Rotary Club, a 22-person student team developed a campaign to increase awareness of the literacy problems in the area and to motivate students to take action to solve the problems. They conducted research on the issue and began to shape messages and define tactics that would be used. The result was the Literacy Is The Edge campaign that employed communication channels ranging from TV public service announcements by UA football players to Facebook groups in support of the effort. The work saw the immediate creation of a new student group, LITE, and the training of 77 student volunteers as active reading tutors in the community. The LITE student group is charged with sustaining and growing these efforts working with community partners now and in the future.
Ms. Peterson led the agricultural medicine research project into a collaboration involving both white and African American farmers to address mutual health issues. She coordinated information gathering from multiple focus groups around the state endorsed by the larger African American farm community. The Agromedicine Program is an integral component of the UA Rural Health Leaders Pipeline to help "grow our own" rural Alabama doctors. This work continues and has been greatly enhanced by this project that resulted in a multi-county, diverse policy committee of farmers that guides the efforts to address agricultural health issues in Alabama, including the Black Belt.
Under the leadership of UA sophomore and Creative Campus Intern Michael Wynn, the Creative Campus Assembly addressed the need within the Tuscaloosa and University communities to recognize the abilities of artists affected by chronic illness or disabilities and to contribute to social services and support for persons with disabilities. Through a partnership with the Office of Disability Services and Very Special Artists (VSA) Arts of Alabama, the group produced its first signature event of a planned series, The Unbound Art Show. This first event is a launching point for a sustained, developing relationship with VSA Arts of Alabama for the future. The March exhibit opening event hosted about 100 students and community members statewide. Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith founded VSA Arts in 1974 as an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
CATEGORY: Outstanding Community Partner-Initiated Engagement Effort
AERN is a community-UA partnership that provides the resources and impetus for residents in rural counties to increase homegrown prosperity through entrepreneurship. The people of Marion in Perry County treasure their lifestyle and heritage and want to see it preserved and enhanced. The Perry County Chamber of Commerce, under the direction of John Martin, revitalized its partnership with the University focusing on two main projects: Attracting arts and business to downtown through a revitalization effort that has seen five new businesses in Marion occupying renovated space downtown. Mr. Martin and the University are also cooperating on a second project to restore the Perry County airstrip. UA supplies computers, software, Internet access and research assistance for Perry County entrepreneurs who make the improvements happen.
The Tuscaloosa Housing Authority provided leadership in staging Culture Fest 2008, one of the most successful and best attended multicultural events in Tuscaloosa history. McKenzie Court, which had been rebuilt and landscaped with public housing funds, was the host for the event that featured music and festival foods from many cultures. Other partners included UA's Crossroads Community Center, the Tuscaloosa Police, Fire and Transportation departments, and Shelton State Community College.
Distinguished Achievement Award "” Campus
A renowned national leader in engagement scholarship, Dean Dahl has certainly gone "above and beyond" in her efforts to enhance The University of Alabama's role in the critical area of engagement scholarship and outreach that is truly making a measurable, sustainable difference in the communities with whom we collaborate. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching awarded The University of Alabama its Community Engagement Classification in January 2009. Dean Dahl was co-chair of the team that spent months preparing UA's application.
Distinguished Achievement Award "” Community
The "spiritual leader" and chief advocate for the movement to improve literacy in our community through creation of the Literacy Council of West Alabama whose mission is to champion the power of literacy to improve the lives of children, adults, families and communities in West Alabama, Mr. Aycock has engaged the business, education and government communities in the literacy challenge and energized our leaders to embrace a shared vision of a functionally literate citizenship.
A community-based partnership pioneer, Ms. Loftin provided the energy and ingenuity to develop partnerships with her hometown of Dothan and The University of Alabama establishing a model that would be duplicated in many communities throughout the state. She partnered with her alma mater to advocate for children and families through such statewide programs as BabyTalk and PAL, serving parents and children throughout the state. She is a founder of the grassroots movement to develop Family Resource Centers throughout Alabama and statewide programs in support of healthy marriages in partnership with Auburn University. An advocate for prevention of child abuse and neglect, Ms. Loftin has led the formation of many community partnerships, some of them decades ago, that continue to flourish today.
Distinguished Special Achievement In Engagement
To thousands of engagement scholars, "Hi" Fitzgerald is "Mr. Engagement Scholarship" in the United States. His tireless leadership of the National Outreach Scholarship Conference, his efforts to improve the mental health of families and children, and his hundreds of other professional, personal and volunteer achievements put him in the company of engagement leaders you can count on one hand. Fitzgerald is the author or co-author of more than 50 books, more than 500 peer-reviewed research articles, papers and abstracts, and the recipient of research grants totaling more than $10 million. There are few more versatile or productive academic leaders than this year's recipient of the Distinguished Special Achievement in Engagement than Dr. Hiram E. Fitzgerald of Michigan State University.
CCBP Awards Luncheon Invitation
The Council on Community-Based Partnerships invites University and community partners, as well as potential partners, to its Third Annual Awards Luncheon at noon, Friday, May 1, 2009, in the Hotel Capstone on the campus. The luncheon, which will be held in the Ballroom, will recognize outstanding community engagement projects of faculty, staff, students and community partners.
Before the luncheon, award winners and seed-funding recipients will present poster displays of their work in the hallway outside the Ballroom.
A foremost engagement scholar and theorist, Dr. Hiram E. Fitzgerald, will be the keynote speaker. Fitzgerald is vice president of Outreach and Engagement at Michigan State University and president of the National Outreach Scholarship Partnership (NOSC), of which The University of Alabama is one of nine members and the only college or university in Alabama that is part of the group.
"Join us as we celebrate the best work in the dynamic area of engagement scholarship," said Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president for Community Affairs. Award recipients will receive additional grant funds to continue work in the area for which they are being honored.
If you plan to attend the luncheon, e-mail Nancy Bohannon, nancy.bohannon@ua.edu, by noon Wednesday, April 29, to reserve a seat. There is no charge.
April 23, 2007
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. "“ The University of Alabama Center for Community-Based Partnerships will hold its first honors luncheon Friday, April 27, at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Tuscaloosa, beginning at noon.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Arthur N. Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach and associate provost at the University of Georgia. Dunning oversees one of the nation's most comprehensive outreach operations. The former UA faculty member has been a key adviser to Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, UA's vice president for community affairs and executive director of the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, known as CCBP.
In his remarks, Dunning will trace the development of UGA's outreach efforts and explain how they have changed both campus culture and the state. In his seven years at the University of Georgia, Dunning has mobilized human and fiscal resources to address the challenges of connecting his university to needs of citizens and communities.
Awards will be made in four categories: distinguished service, outstanding student-initiated project, outstanding faculty/staff-initiated project and outstanding community-partner initiated project.
"These outstanding projects and individuals connect the outreach mission of the University to its teaching and research functions while serving the needs of our local community, the state of Alabama, the region, the nation and the world," Pruitt said. "They operationalize our motto: Engaging Communities and Changing Lives."
Winning projects will receive funds to be used in future projects or to extend current ones, Pruitt said. All of the nominated projects involve faculty, staff, students, curriculum and formal research, Pruitt said.
Following the luncheon, attendees are invited to attend an open house at the Cannon House, 824 4th Avenue, the home of CCBP, next door to the Sheraton. Special guests of the open house will be students participating in P.A.S.S. (Preparing Alabama Students for Success), a School of Social Work project.
CCBP began in 2006 as an initiative of the Office of Community Affairs. It mobilizes the resources of the University to address problems identified jointly by community and academic partners. Its purpose is to engage communities, expand the classroom and laboratory, and promote better education, health, economic and cultural opportunities for all Alabamians.
The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.
April 27, 2007
The Center for Community-Based Partnerships honored nine of its most successful projects and their leaders at its first awards program Friday, April 27, at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Tuscaloosa. More than 250 university and community leaders attended the ceremony.
The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Arthur N. Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach and associate provost at the University of Georgia and a three-time graduate and former faculty member at The University of Alabama. Dunning also received the first award of the day, a Distinguished Achievement Award for his national leadership in community-partnered research and service.
Dunning urged academic scholars to convert their research and instruction in ways that can be used by ordinary people. The people of Alabama's Black Belt may not ever be interested in your basic research, he said, "but if you can translate that research into something that makes an impact, it will be recognized.”
Receiving awards for projects initiated by students were:
"¢ Amanda Brozana, for The West End Journal and WestEndJournal.Com, a newspaper and website that cover western Tuscaloosa around Stillman College, where Brozana, a UA doctoral student, is an instructor.
"¢ Stephany Collins, a senior photojournalism major, for her work with Creative Campus to integrate the arts into local school curricula.
"¢ Students in the School of Social Work for P.A.S.S. (Preparing Alabama Students for Success) "“ Jacauel Lakesha Lee, Stephanie Workman, Jacquelyn Johnson, Kathleen McNamara, Paulette Martin, R. Taylor Putnam, Rita Smith, William Thompson, Krista VanDerwood, Debra Watkins. They mentor and instruct Black Belt area students on college-bound goals, helping them to see themselves as future college students
For projects by faculty and staff:
"¢ Dr. Carmen Taylor, assistant dean, College of Arts and Sciences, for SMILE (Science and Math Involved Learning Experience), which engages students in learning and enjoying math and science.
"¢ Dr. Pauline Johnson and Dr. Phillip Johnson, associate professors in the College of Engineering, for community projects at home and abroad through Engineering Students Without Borders.
"¢ Dr. Heather Pleasants, assistant professor, College of Education, for Our Voices, which enables black middle school students to tell their stories in new forms of media.
For projects by community partners:
"¢ Carol Eichelberger and Jean Mills, for Tuscaloosa Community-Supported Agriculture through New 226 Organic Farming, a course open to community and campus members through New College.
"¢ Dr. Alesa Judd of Centreville, for Bibb County Child Caring Project through Bibb County Public Schools.
"¢ Mayor Walt Maddox, Shelly Jones, Earnestine Tucker, Stephen Black, for Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative. the city's pre-kindergarten initiative.
Distinguished Achievement Awards, for sustained, distinguished and superb achievement in public service and outreach went to:
"¢ Dr. Jim Hall, director, New College, campus
"¢ Felecia Jones, executive director, Black Belt Community Foundation in Selma. Ms. Jones' was recognized for her leadership in an organization that since 2003 has raised funds to sustain an operation that now includes a full-time staff of five and has distributed more than $300,000 in small grants in support of health, education, the economy and the arts to nonprofit organizations throughout the Black Belt.
Dunning, who has advised Dr. Samory Pruitt, vice president for community affairs, in his efforts to establish the University's engagement programs, explained how engagement based on the university's teaching and research strength can put a university at the center of the public's concerns.
Pruitt praised the projects recognized at the luncheon, saying, "These outstanding projects and individuals connect the outreach mission of the University to its teaching and research functions while serving the needs of our local community, the state of Alabama, the region, the nation and the world. They operationalize our motto: Engaging Communities and Changing Lives."
Winning projects will receive funds to be used in future projects or to extend current ones, Pruitt said. All of the nominated projects involve the community, faculty, staff, students, curriculum and formal research, Pruitt said.
Following the luncheon, many attendees attended an open house at the Cannon House, 824 4th Avenue, the home of CCBP.
CCBP began in 2006 as an initiative of the Office of Community Affairs. It mobilizes the resources of the University to address problems identified jointly by community and academic partners. Its purpose is to engage communities, expand the classroom and laboratory, and promote better education, health, economic and cultural opportunities for all Alabamians.
