CEI Offers Free Registration to Regional Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Conference
The Gulf-South Summit will be held virtually March 15 to 18. VCU faculty, staff, students and community partners can attend for free as part of an institutional VCU membership. By Jenny Pedraza, APR The Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Community Engagement and Impact (CEI) and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) will offer free registration […]
CEI to Fund Undergraduate Community-Engaged Research Fellowships
The fellowships will provide funding for undergraduate students, faculty mentors and community partners to collaboratively work on projects that strengthen community well-being. By Jenny Pedraza In partnership with the Office of the Provost, the Center for Community Engagement and Impact (CEI) will fund five undergraduate community-engaged research (CEnR) fellowships for Summer 2021 through the Undergraduate […]
Service-Learning Student Named University College Experiential Learning Student Ambassador
Sydney Boyce, a junior majoring in English, has been named the University College’s first Experiential Learning Student Ambassador. The fellowship is sponsored by a VCU REAL Challenge Grant from the Office of the Provost. In this role, Boyce will help promote experiential learning opportunities on campus. Boyce credits service-learning experiences in Focused Inquiry courses early […]
VCU Service-Learning Releases Impact Dashboard
Data at your fingertips. In the fall of 2020, Virginia Commonwealth University Service-Learning released its data dashboard. The Service-Learning Data Dashboard (SLDD) is a robust, public-facing digital platform that provides access to university service-learning data and visually illustrates the impact of experiential learning opportunities on student success. VCU Service-Learning is housed in the VCU Center […]
Cold Weather Kits and Continuing to Serve During the Pandemic
After reading about a service opportunity with Richmond Behavioral Health Authority in the 32 with VCU newsletter, Kelly Harrell, Ph.D, MPT, associate professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology in the VCU School of Medicine, used her Community Service Leave to make cold weather kits with her family. By Jenny Pedraza “As my husband […]
UROP Spotlight: Biology Major Jessie Feng Explores Medical Mistrust and Empathy in Online Settings
Each year, students are awarded $1,500 to engage in community-engaged research through The Undergraduate Fellowships for Community-Engaged Research Program (CEnR/UROP), a partnership between the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry and the Center for Community Engagement and Impact (CEI). By Jenny Pedraza “I hope to eventually enter medical school and become a trauma surgeon,” […]
Out-of-School-Time Professionals Participate in Trauma-Informed Care Training with The Toolbox
Part of the Center for Community Engagement and Impact’s Mary and Frances Youth Center, The Toolbox offers a comprehensive approach to professional development for youth-serving organizations. By Jenny Pedraza On Oct. 8, 17 professionals representing youth-serving organizations attended a virtual trauma-informed care training hosted by the Virginia Commonwealth University Mary and Frances Youth Center (MFYC). […]
UR and VCU Faculty Recognized for East End Cemetery Collaboratory’s Work to Restore Historic African American Burial Ground
By Jenny Pedraza On Oct. 15, the University of Richmond Bonner Center for Civic Engagement celebrated its third annual Engage for Change! Awards. The East End Cemetery Collaboratory was awarded the Collaboration for Change Award for excellence in authentic relationships and genuine collaboration to affect change. The Collaboratory is a learning community supported by both […]
Restoring Oyster Populations in the Chesapeake Bay with VCU Service Hours
By Jenny Pedraza If you’ve ever eaten oysters at a restaurant in Central or Eastern Virginia, your discarded oyster shells may not have ended up in the trash when your plate was cleared. Since 2013, the VCU Rice Rivers Center has facilitated the collection of waste oyster shells from 50 restaurants and returned them to […]
Jenilee Stanley-Shanks, Leader in K-12 STEM Educational Outreach in College of Engineering, Named a Richmond ‘Top 40 under 40’
Jenilee Stanley-Shanks, director of government and community outreach at the VCU College of Engineering, was named to Style Weekly’s ‘Top 40 under 40’ list for 2020. Stanley-Shanks was included in the publication’s annual celebration of “people helping make Richmond a better place” for leading the college’s K-12 STEM education outreach efforts. She was nominated by […]