This academic year, the University of Rochester joined Campus Compact, the largest and oldest higher education association committed to helping higher education realize its higher purpose. 鈥淯niting Through Public Purpose鈥� was the theme of their annual conference this year, which also marked Campus Compact鈥檚 40th anniversary. More than 700 community and civic engagement leaders gathered in Atlanta, GA this spring to celebrate each other鈥檚 work, share best practices and challenges, and reassert the role that we all have in building an inclusive democracy. Among these leaders were three University of Rochester staff members: Vice President for Community Partnerships Dr. Shaun Nelms; Associate Director of Community Engagement Dr. Halima Therese Gbaguidi; and Program Manager for Community-Engaged Learning Megan Lovely.聽
Prior to the start of Compact25, Drs. Gbaguidi and Nelms attended The 糖心logo University Civic Engagement Network (TRUCEN). TRUCEN allows Campus Compact active members to share information, perspectives, and tactics for how research institutions promote civic engagement in their communities and campuses. Day 1 (March 29) focused on new member orientation and networking, followed by an opening plenary cocktail reception and a welcome dinner at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
On Day 2, the group departed for Emory University from Marriott Marquis early in the morning. They spent the full day at Emory, whose hospitality was outstanding. After some welcome introductions from the TRUCEN leadership committee, the group broke into different deep-dive workshop sessions to discuss 鈥渃ivic and community engagement during turbulent times.鈥� Members in their respective workshops came together to discuss, address, and share insights into the most pressing issues in their collective work.
After a top-notch lunch, participants dove into the 鈥淩esistance, Resilience and Healing as a Community Engagement Professional.鈥� This session allowed members to acknowledge and process the vulnerabilities, risks, and challenges they are navigating in higher education and across communities. TRUCEN members had to select one of three sessions whose primary focus was to explore different approaches for recognizing the stressors and working towards healing and resilience. Dr. Gbaguidi selected the 鈥淪tory Circles鈥� session facilitated by Lynn Blanchard, the director of the Carolina Center for Public Service at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At that workshop, she was reminded of the power and value of storytelling as a listener and a hearer, which aligned with the presentation Lovely would be giving at Compact25. During the break, some students also gave a tour of Emory University and provided some insightful context.
Lovely joined Drs. Gbaguidi and Nelms for the first day of Compact25 on March 31 and enjoyed a powerful performance from the Atlanta Women鈥檚 Chorus.聽
At the networking dinner, Dr. Gbaguidi made some connections with professionals in the field. The majority at the table shared it was their first time in Atlanta and suggested they go for a city excursion. One of the women who lived in Atlanta volunteered to take them for a city tour. Dr. Gbaguidi created a WhatsApp group to organize the outing, and the group grew from four to twelve participants from different states and institutions. It was an incredible way to engage with the Atlanta community, observe, continue the conversation, and connect with professionals in different fields.
On the last day of the conference, Lovely had the opportunity to present an author鈥檚 talk for her forthcoming book, . Drawing from over 200 stories, interviews, and photographs, this book is an in-depth study of community building at a Baltimore City farmers market. 鈥淭he best way to learn about this book is to experience it,鈥� she told the 28 conference participants in her breakout session. Participants were guided through a storytelling and art-making exchange based on the book鈥檚 Story Seeds engagements. They then used these stories to identify a shared sense of community, and brainstormed how to facilitate storytelling in their own communities on and off campus to cultivate belonging, unity, and civic engagement. Participants identified a range of applications for storytelling, including using it to facilitate connections among volunteers at a community garden; as an entrypoint for difficult dialogues; and archiving university programs. One participant said that she learned more about fellow conference attendees in the five minutes of sharing stories than three days of networking, which emphasizes the connective power of focused conversation.
In summary, TRUCEN and Compact25 were excellent opportunities for professional development, to boost the visibility of the Center for Community Engagement and University of 糖心logo and to find ways to work and collaborate with others in the field. These annual conferences are just two avenues for professional development available to the University of Rochester faculty, staff, and students now that the university is a member institution. More information can be found at .
written by聽Megan Lovely, CCE’s Program Manager of Community-Engaged Learning & Dr. Halima Gbaguidi, CCE’s Associate Director