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CREATING, IMPLEMENTING, AND SUSTAINING THE DEMOCRACY COMMITMENT INITIATIVES DR. NORMAH SALLEH-BARONE SUMEET SINGH America’s Community Colleges Educating For Democracy “A healthy democracy depends on engaged citizens, proud of their rights, thoughtful about their responsibilities, and informed about their choices.” “Beyond access to education itself, community colleges have an obligation to: educate about democracy, engage students in both an understanding of civic institutions and practical experience of acting in the public arena.” Moraine Valley Community College • Second largest community college in Illinois • Three campuses: Main campus in Palos Hills, Education Center in Blue Island, and Southwest Education Center in Tinley Park • Spring 2014 enrollment of approximately 17,000 students • Offer 100+ degree and certificate programs Our Demographics 0.32% 1.44% 9.61% 2.19% 9.73% American Indian 0.04% Asian Black Hawaiian 19.72% Hispanic More than one race White 1.48% Student on a visa 55.48% Unknown TDC - Prime Initiative The Democracy Commitment (TDC) is a national initiative providing a platform for the development and expansion of community college programs, projects and curricula aiming at engaging students in civic learning and democratic practice across the country. The goal of TDC is that every graduate of an American community college shall have had an education in democracy. This includes all of our students, whether they aim to transfer to university, achieve an associate degree or obtain a certificate. Democracy Commitment and Community College The American community colleges share this mission of educating about democracy because we are the gateway to higher education for millions who might not otherwise get a postsecondary education. More critically, we are rooted deeply in local communities that need the civic leadership and practical democratic capacity of our students for their political and social health. MVCC Mission Statement The mission of our college is to educate the whole person in a learning-centered environment, recognizing our responsibilities to one another, to our community, and to the world we share. We value excellence in teaching, learning and service as we maintain sensitivity to our role in a global, multicultural community. We are committed to continuous improvement and dedicated to providing accessible, affordable, and diverse learning opportunities and environments. It’s About the Students Exploring Committee created representing both academic and student affairs Three team members attended 2011 National Meeting Presentation by Kevin Navratil and Lisa Kelsay to All-Faculty meeting on September 8, 2011 Presentation by Kevin Navratil and Lisa Kelsay to Student Life on October 4, 2011 Part of the Student Life Leadership Development Series Faculty members attended the “7 Revolutions Institute: Educating Globally Competent Citizens” October 28-29, 2011 Fresno, California Creating Developed workshops for faculty to encourage and assist them in incorporating civic practice and service learning in their curriculum: CTL Workshops Staff development Days Community Organizing Training Learning Community Seminar Creating Provided opportunities for students, faculty and staff to learn about important social issues and encourage them to get involved through presentations : Local and sustainable food event with local farmers Faculty lecture series ActOut Education through service fair Film screenings (Inequality for All and American Winter) Surveyed Faculty to find out what they are already doing and what needs they may have in doing more Faculty survey completed fall 2013 Results From the Faculty Survey By the end of the course, students would know how to: evaluate information for possible biases. generate alternative solutions to a problem. uncover the root cause of a problem. identify problems in the community. 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 Implementing Work collaboratively with all areas of the college at the planning stage to ensure support and community effort : ActOut fair is a collaboration between Mike McGuire, TDC Global Education and the library One-day seminar on civic engagement and learning communities was a collaboration between Student Development and Academic Affairs Sustaining Providing a space for all levels of the college to get involved. Working with the TDC committee and inviting input from the college community: Hosting a roundtable discussion for faculty to discuss this past year’s efforts and what we want to see in the coming years from TDC Engage students through curriculum : Link efforts that are college-wide to help students make the connections and see the importance of being engaged citizens. Sustaining Institutionalize the work Develop communities of learning that students will expect to see every year Develop a sense of community and shared responsibility on campus so that our small projects can grow and become a standard at MVCC Collaborative efforts with other campus initiative (sustainability, global education, one-book) Our Progression…. Hosted a regional conference for ADP and TDC area colleges on May 30, 2012 Hosted Brian Murphy, President of De Anza College (CA) and cofounder of The Democracy Commitment Initiative, to speak at InService Day on October 16, 2012 On-going Student Development and Academic Affairs programs Selected Faculty Program Coordinator Tamarra Coleman-Hill, Assistant Professor of Communication Uploading information to the national TDC website on MVCC activities Applied for a Bringing Theory to Practice grant 2013-14 Short term goals Implement a conversation board in building U Faculty Program Coordinator to present workshops Create a mission statement Select a graduate intern Add question to pool of interview questions Add a link to the Student Life Page to Service Opportunities Conduct campus-wide academic inventory Host a Naturalization Ceremony Create competition to create a tagline Create a Student Democracy Commitment award Outreach to local high schools and middle schools Create democracy commitment website Introduce The Democracy Commitment during orientations 2013-14 Long term goals Research creating democracy certification/concentration program Host student presentation on democracy Determine process to select a student to attend /present at national meeting Work with Kettering Foundation and National Issues Forums Institute Locate speaker on democracy for convocation Learning College Day workshop by students Add session to Leadership Series on how to be moderators of discussions Educate faculty on how to align General Education Learning Goals and Objectives to class learning objectives to incorporate TDC components Determine what it means to be a TDC course and share with faculty Create a designation symbol next to classes that relate to TDC Democracy Commitment Events Institutional Resources On MVCC’s Website Blackboard Sustainability In the Curriculum Volunteering Opportunities Voter Registration Social Action & Political Empowerment The Democracy Commitment DeAnza Community College Conclusion Our community colleges have enormous talent and capacity, with faculty and staff committed to the success of our students, and with students bright with ambition and passion. All of us share a commitment to a democratic nation. Now is the time to fulfill that commitment by participating in the democracy commitment. Questions?!! Concerns?!