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Community Engaged Scholars

Congratulations to UNC Asheville's First Official Community Engaged Scholars!

UNC Asheville's first Community Engaged Scholars, Rosa Maria Pedro Vicente and Nola Jackson, Class of 2012. Congratulations to these dedicated and engaged scholars!

Here's what you can do to actively take part in making Asheville a better place and graduate with the honor of Community Engaged Scholar.

The Community Engaged Scholar honor is one of five academic recognitions given to graduating students at UNC Asheville. It gives students the chance to become deeply involved in service learning in Asheville and Western North Carolina -- and receive recognition for their efforts. The honor was approved by the UNC Asheville Faculty Senate in March 2011.

It takes most students a few semesters to complete. Here are the requirements of becoming a Community Engaged Scholar:

  • Complete six or more academic credit hours in Service-Learning Designated Courses (usually two courses). They are indicated by an SL notation beside the course when student's register for classes. You must earn a grade of B- or above in each course.
  • Complete a Key Center Workshop on Service Learning
  • Complete a Public Service Project that the community needs. The project does not mean doing service hours, but rather either creating something for an organization or doing research for it on some aspect of its work. In both cases, the project comes from your meeting with the organization or group and finding out what it needs – and then crafting that into your Public Service Project. Examples are too numerous to name here, but include projects such as creating a public relations or marketing campaign, developing a software program, producing a handbook or manual for clients for an organization, or conducting research on the effectiveness of an agency's program or work. A report must be written on the work and a presentation made.

Application for the Community Engaged Scholar Public Service Project

Approval of UNC Asheville Public Service Project

Workshops and Information Sessions

Community Engaged Scholar Workshops: (all held in 235 HIG, SAIL Boardroom)

TBD

Important Dates for Public Service Projects

Summer 2013 Graduation

  • Application form for Public Service Project: Submitted with signatures to Key Center by Monday, April 1, 2013.
  • Paper due: Monday, July 1, 2013. The paper will be reviewed and then comments returned to you. Revisions are likely. Papers should be submitted by email.
  • Revised Paper Due: Monday, July 15, 2013. Submit by email.
  • Approval of UNCA Public Service Project Form with signatures due to Key Center by Monday, July 15, 2013.
  • Deliver Formal Poster Presentation by: July 30, 2013 (Scholars will work with Key Center Director & their Faculty Advisory to determine the most appropriate audience & setting.)

Fall 2013 Graduation

  • Application form for Public Service Project: Submitted with signatures to Key Center by Friday, September 13, 2013.
  • Application Deadline for Poster Presentation to Symposium: Monday, October 21, 2013. Presenters are required to provide a title and abstract sent by email to Lise Kloeppel.
  • Paper due: Monday, November 4, 2013. The paper will be reviewed and then comments returned to you. Revisions are likely. Papers should be submitted by email.
  • Revised Paper Due: Monday, November 18, 2013. Submit by email.
  • Approval of UNCA Public Service Project Form with signatures due to Key Center by Monday, November 18, 2013.
  • Fall Symposium for Poster Presentation: TBA (usually last week of classes)

Please make the necessary arrangements with your employer or professor to ensure that your are available to present at the appropriate given time.

For more information on this graduation disctinction, please see the Faculty Senate notes from 3/17/2011.

To read the papers students wrote about their projects, click here for the Journal of Undergraduate Public Service Projects.

Last edited by sbrown2@unca.edu on May 14, 2013