In This Together

“I USED TO BE SHY,” says Ellen Garton (English and Writing, 2003). That changed after Garton enrolled in Assistant Professor Mada Petranovich Morgan’s Grantwriting course, which integrates student—community interaction into the learning process.

Garton used the grantwriting skills gained in her class to help secure $15,000 for the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center’s acoustic shell, as well as funds for the Ashland Independent Film Festival (AIFF) and the Grants Pass—based Barnstormers Theatre. “Mada’s class gave me the confidence to go out and work in the community,” she says.

When Morgan invited a grantwriter to speak in her Technical Writing class, she knew she’d found a way to make classroom learning relevant to her students’ future careers. The grantwriter showed students how they could fulfill real—life community needs while honing marketable skills. Student interest blazed when Morgan let her students contact and write a grant proposal for the nonprofit organization of their choice.

Community—based learning (CBL) gave Joanna Langenhan (English and Writing, 2005) the opportunity to redirect a thwarted love for acting. Switching from theatre to an English and writing major, Langenhan enrolled in Morgan’s Community Writing class and interned at the AIFF (see page 7), where she screened films and wrote program synopses.

“I loved it,” she says. “I got better at writing, and I learned about film industry politics.”

Associate Provost for Extended Programs Barbara Scott believes CBL serves a broader vision by entwining SOU and the community. Scott aims “to have the University be seen as a resource, so that when an organization in the community says ‘I need some research,’ or ‘I have a problem and am not quite sure how to approach it,’ the first thing that comes to mind is, ‘Let’s check with SOU and see if they can help.’”

Scott sits on the Board at the Southern Oregon Center for Community Partnerships. The sister nonprofit of Rogue Valley Council of Governments (RVCOG), the center fosters collaboration across the four sectors—public, private, nonprofit, and education—in order to identify and address regional, multi—sectorial issues.

“SOU wants to understand what the pressing issues are,” Scott says, “and to work on issues that are multidisciplinary.” Once the issues are identified, the University can channel resources in those directions. Scott explains, “We could say to faculty, ‘If you’re looking for ways to bring the community into the classroom, here are some ways to start.’”

Community—based learning encompasses a variety of teaching and learning strategies, including civic engagement, service learning, and practica (see sidebar, next page). At Southern, CBL has a long, but episodic history, starting with the Americorps program REAL Corps, which was discontinued in recent years when grant funding ended. In 2001, CBL got a boost at SOU when Elisabeth Zinser became president and began taking intentional steps toward building Southern’s public liberal arts and sciences core strengths.

“The public aspect of a ‘strong’ liberal arts college involves being highly connected to community,” Zinser says. “In other words, not letting ivy grow on its walls.” President Zinser was instrumental in making the University a member of Campus Compact, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service learning in higher education. Executive Vice President and Provost Earl Potter secured a three—year grant from Campus Compact to further service learning at SOU. The grant enabled the Provost’s Office to provide stipends for faculty members to make CBL a critical component of their courses. One notable result was Associate Professor of Chemistry Gregory Miller’s course, Forensic Investigation: Seeking Justice Through Science, in which students design a viable crime—reduction program. Science Engagement for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER), an arm of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), chose Miller’s course as a national model for service learning. It is now the most—downloaded model on their Web site.

“National recognition and regional responsiveness go handin—glove,” Zinser says, “ just as service learning goes handin— hand with a public liberal arts and sciences university.”

Another move by the Provost’s Office to advance CBL was establishing a Community—Based Learning Team. Potter appointed faculty from each SOU school to examine community— based learning at the University.

The team invited Dr. Barry Messer of Portland State University to lead a faculty workshop, “Making the Leap: Embracing Community—Based Learning.” According to CBL team leader and SOU Professor of Communication Jonathan Lange, faculty found the workshop inspiring and instructive. Lange has already seen faculty implement some of Messer’s suggestions. In a less—intentional fashion, CBL has been available to students for years at Southern. Twenty—seven of the fifty—four majors offer supervised practica or internship opportunities. Additionally, many senior capstone projects involve civic engagement or service learning.

“In the last three years, we’ve expanded, systemized, and promoted that kind of work,” says Lange. The team plans to institutionalize CBL through core curricula and general education. “Community—based learning will make the membrane between the University and the community much more permeable,” he says. “We want to serve this community, and we want to ask the community for help in serving students.”

Garton and Langenhan continue to reap the rewards of their CBL experiences. Langenhan is convinced her internship at the AIFF helped her land a job with the Marin Independent Journal. “I am more confident in job interviews and networking,” she says. “The internship looks great on my resumé.”

Garton not only used her writing ability to benef it the community and enrich her skills— she also got a vacation out of it. When she contacted a sailing magazine and offered to write a travel article for them, it turned out one of their regular writers had just canceled his trip to the Grenadines. “I spent ten days sailing with people who’d paid $1,800 to go,” Garton recalls, “in exchange for writing an article about it.”

By putting CBL into practice, students gain valuable experience, businesses and organizations in the community benefit from the help, and SOU builds a reputation as an indispensable resource. In addition, CBL helps accomplish Southern’s mission. “You can’t be a public liberal arts and sciences university without being deeply engaged in the region,” says Zinser, “or you’re not being a public university of any kind.”

This article appeared in the Fall / Winter 2006 edition of the Southern Oregonian magazine.

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