P8 | Community Partner

Spotlight: The Cleveland

Sight Center

P11 | JCU students

attend the Ignatian Family

Teach-In for Social Justice

P9 | Fall Highlights and

CSSA by the numbers

P13 | Faculty Spotlight:

Dr. Theron Ford, Associate

Professor of Education

2017 | FALL/WINTER EDITION

T he marking of milestones and significant anniversaries call for both looking backwards and

looking forwards. Anniversaries are a time to celebrate past accomplishments, take note of the trials and triumphs, probe the progress made, and entertain new possibilities and vision for the future. The Center for Service and Social Action has been involved in both looking back and looking forward as it marks its twenty-fifth anniversary this year. There is much to celebrate.

Over the past twenty-five years, significant growth and progress have been made in engaging students in the community and in developing the infrastructure and support to sustain and deepen that engagement.

It is worth noting that service to the wider community extends back in time beyond this current anniversary, as service has always been at the heart of the Jesuit mission and ethos of the University. Through the years, generations of

students have extended care and concern to those in need. The methods of reaching out have varied in form and function. For example, in the 1940’s and 50’s, campus-wide service efforts centered on stamp drives to raise money to support the new Jesuit missions in India and fundraising dances to support the Red Cross war effort in caring for homeless and deserted children.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s students aligned with the Kiwanis Club and formed a student-led group on campus known as the Circle K Club. They focused more intently on service locally by visiting sick and injured children at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, and doing home improvement projects in the inner city. In the 1980’s, students worked closely with Sr. Henrietta of Hough and the Fatima Center and began a wide range of tutoring programs with children in the city.

A new emphasis and more formalized approach to service began in 1992 which marks the anniversary date we are

celebrating here. In 1992, Rev. Michael Lavelle, S.J., former president of John Carroll established the Center for Community Service (which would later be renamed The Center for Service and Social Action). This new Center was established to engage the students in

more direct outreach and service to the community as an extension of the mission of the University. The activity was more intentional, more systematic and more coordinated so that students could participate on an ongoing basis.

Celebrating 25 Years of Service and Social Action

(Continued on p. 2)

The Center was getting off the ground just as the field of service-learning was emerging as a formal discipline. Today, the Center is recognized nationally for its excellence.

The Center was getting off the ground just as the field of service-learning was emerging as a formal discipline. Today, the Center is nationally recognized for its excellence and is a leader in the field. Since its founding, both the Center and its scope of programs have continued to develop, grow, and flourish.

As we look back, we celebrate the remarkable growth of service at John Carroll. From its inception, the Center began forming relationships with community agencies and creating service placements for students.

Continuing a tradition that had started a few years before, the Center for Community Service took over planning the University’s Community Service Career Fair in 1993. This fair, which is still held annually (now called the Post-Grad Volunteer & Nonprofit Internship Fair), offered opportunities for students to learn about employment with service partners after graduation.

02

As the Center expanded its network in Cleveland, opportunities to create dialogue within the community increased. The Center hosted several notable speakers (including President Bill Clinton) and offered “Dinner and Dialogue” events for community members to discuss current issues facing the city.

In 2005, students in a “Cultivating Community” course partnered with Hough residents and St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School for a day of service. Cultivating Community Day has remained an important part of the Center’s work. When the University celebrated its 125

th

anniversary, the name was changed to the Jesuit Day of Service and its scope expanded significantly. This day of service is now a city-wide collaborative event with the 10 Jesuit institutions in the greater Cleveland area and draws more than 700 participants.

In 2005, Fr. Niehoff became President of the University. His vision was to see service become a hallmark of the “John Carroll Experience”. He transformed the Center and wanted to make it an integral part of the student experience.

In 2006, as Fr. Niehoff’s vision took form, the Center’s name was changed from the Center for Community Service to the Center for Service and Social Action (CSSA). Dr. Peggy Finucane, was appointed as the new director, and the work of the Center really began to take

off. Service-learning expanded and so did the types of service activities.

Fr. Niehoff’s strong institutional support for the Center allowed the newly named CSSA to expand its presence on campus and its outreach in the wider community. Later that year, CSSA received the newly created “President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll”, a national distinction, for the first time.

In 2014, Dr. Finucane transitioned back to the faculty and a new director, Sr. Katherine Feely, SND was appointed. Building on the extraordinary work of Dr. Finucane, CSSA continued to formalize its student engagement efforts and attend more intently on the professional development of Student Liaisons. A new Student Leadership Team was created to give students an active and influential voice in guiding the work of the Center.

Several new initiatives have begun since 2014 including a more formal Student Liaison training program, a student mentoring program, a faculty workshop series, a faculty advisory board, and a Student Liaison Tour of Cleveland, among others.

The Tour was a new development in training Student Liaisons in their leadership roles which allowed them to learn from community experts about the political, economic, social, and cultural dynamics of the city and the neighborhoods where they

Fr. Michael Lavelle establishes the Center for Community Service

Community Service Career Fair is launched.

Community Service Fair “Making Connections” begins.

Fair Trade craft sales begin.

CCS hosts public forums and dialogues on national service in Northeast Ohio.

Cleveland becomes a City Year expansion site as a result of meetings convened by CCS.

Immersion trips expand.

“Cultivating Community” class leads to a day of service in the Hough Neighborhood.

“Dinner and Dialogue” events expand.

Center takes on Earth Fest at the zoo.

Academic service-learning grows.

1992-1995

1995-2000

2000-2005 Celebrating 25 Years

As the Center expanded its network in Cleveland, opportunities to create dialogue within the community increased.

systems and structures that prevent human flourishing. During Ignatian Heritage Week, more than 220 participants attended one of three workshops on “Social Analysis for the Twenty-First Century” offered for faculty, staff, and students.

In 2017, work began in CSSA with the help of Information and Technology Services to migrate our service-learning registration database from an outdated system to a new state of the art system. The new platform, GivePulse, includes Banner integration, a dynamic, intuitive, easy to navigate interface, and a mobile site for students to register and log their activities quickly and easily. There is even an app to track attendance and check students in to their service activities.

Additionally, a new training program drawing on the Social Change Model of Leadership was piloted and launched for the 65 Student Liaisons who lead service

serve. Gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the neighborhoods and people they serve provided them with broader knowledge to support and lead other students in service activities.

In June of 2015, CSSA hosted the national Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ Service-Learning Directors Conference at John Carroll for the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities to discuss best practices, current research, emerging trends, and explore opportunities for greater collaboration. The input gained from this conference continues to result in new ways of proceeding and further development of our work.

In 2015, CSSA was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the 8

th consecutive year. For the first time,

service-learning became international and new service-learning opportunities were developed as part of the JCU in Rome study abroad program. Dr. Santa Casciani led the effort in collaboration with CSSA. Students were connected with service opportunities throughout the city of Rome working with persons who are homeless, refugees, displaced youth, and the elderly.

In 2016, another new initiative helped students build the capacity for social analysis in order to understand the root causes of injustice as well as the

As we look forward, we continue to innovate and deepen the engagement of our students, faculty, and community partners.

Fr. Niehoff appoints new director.

Center is re-named and becomes the Center for Service and Social Action.

Streak Week Service Project is founded.

Arrupé Scholars Program is founded.

Growth of the Center results in two additional staff positions.

University celebrates 125th Anniversary.

“Cultivating Community Day” becomes Jesuit Day of Service

Carroll Ballers program is founded.

Students for Social Justice is founded.

Student Leadership Team is formed.

Social Change Model of Leadership Training Program is launched.

42 Faculty teach more than 70 service-learning courses.

Faculty Workshop series is launched.

New database is launched.

activities, drive the vans, and serve as ambassadors in the Community. The model explicitly promotes the values of equity, social justice, self-knowledge, personal empowerment, collaboration, citizenship, and service.

Today, the Center engages over 2,000 students annually in service activities across a broad range of issues and populations. We work with more than 75 community partners and offer approximately 120 weekly opportunities for students to choose from. Approximately thirty-five faculty members offer upwards of seventy service-learning courses per academic year in more than fourteen departments.

Course integration models include weekly service, project-based service, community-based research and presentation type service. As we listen to the needs and interests of faculty, students, and community partners, we continue to refine and develop our work.

As we look forward, we continue to innovate and deepen the engagement of our students, faculty, and community partners. Our strategic plan continues to draw us into the future so that we can continue to be innovative, collaborative, responsive to the community, and effective in supporting the transformation of the minds and hearts of our students. ■

2010-2015

2015-2017 + 2005-2010

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Linking and Learning at the Third Annual Community Partner Meeting

4

F orty-five community partners attended the Center for Service and

Social Action’s third annual Community Partner Meeting on Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at JCU. The planning committee comprised of community partners began meeting in the spring of 2017 to design the format for the day.

The meeting opened with a welcome from Dr. Ed Peck, Vice President for University Mission and Identity. Sr. Katherine Feely, CSSA’s Director, gave an engaging “TED Talk” style presentation on community-based learning and trends in higher education. CSSA premiered its new service-learning video highlighting JCU’s academic civic engagement work in the community.

Earl Pike, a nonprofit consultant and JCU adjunct professor, led a dynamic networking session where attendees were encouraged to go deeper than work titles and elevator speeches to share personal stories on the themes of connection, identity, mission, inspiration, and community. Dr. Nick Santilli, Interim Provost at JCU, presented an engaging workshop on “Millennials, Generation Z and Emerging Adults.” The topic was particularly relevant to community partners as many of their volunteers fall into this age group.

Dr. Thea Ford, Associate Professor of Education, presented a workshop on “Engaging Cultural Differences” based on her 25 years of teaching and research in this area. The conversations sparked by

the presentations were engaging, and provided for a lively exchange of ideas, questions and experiences.

Joe Cimperman, President of Global Cleveland and JCU Class of 1992, capped off the morning with a lunch presentation on “Signs of Hope and Promise in the City of Cleveland.” Interim President, Dr. Jeanne Colleran

introduced Joe and spoke about the importance of JCU’s civic engagement work in the community.

Community partners were surveyed after the meeting and were overwhelmingly positive about the experience, stating, “the Community Partner Meeting was informative and exciting, I loved it!” and, “All excellent speakers and topics. I learned something from each session.” Other comments included, “[The meeting] helped me to think about how to prepare our staff to relate to students, and how they can work with JCU students to understand cultural differences.” and “This was a fantastic program! Lively, thought provoking, engaging, and motivational.” ■

Forty-five community partners attended CSSA’s Third Annual Community Partner Meeting on Wednesday, August 16, 2017.

Community Partners network and mingle at CSSA’s Third Annual Community Partner Meeting.

Highlights: Third Annual Community

Partner Meeting

Dr. Thea Ford presented a session on “Engaging Cultural Differences.”

CSSA Staff members (left to right) Julia Hohner, Adrianne Rolland, Maryellen Callanan.

Dr. Nick Santilli presented a session on “Millennials, Generation Z, and Emerging Adults.”

Attendees had the chance to network and engage with each other.

C SSA staff members, Sr. Katherine Feely, SND and Maryellen Callanan, attended the 25th Anniversary International Conference, "Higher Education-Community

Partnerships for Democracy and Social Change," which took place November 16-17, 2017 at the University of Pennsylvania. Approximately 550 participants from 95 colleges and universities and 110 local, national and international organizations were in attendance.

The conference brought together various stakeholders in higher education including professors and administrators, university presidents and academics spanning the globe, for a two-day conference marking the 25th Anniversary of the University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships. The event was filled with talks on a range of topics including, “Education, Citizenship, and Democracy,” “Race, Class, and Poverty,” and “University-Assisted Community Economic Development.”

In his opening address, Netter Center founding director, Ira Harkavy noted, "Universities throughout the world have an increased and increasing responsibility to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and improvement of the human condition, which includes contributing to creating and sustaining genuinely fair, decent, tolerant, diverse and just democratic societies."

“This work is fundamentally about helping universities and colleges realize their promise and maximize their contribution to advancing knowledge and improving the quality of life,” says Harkavy, “So that the societies they are part of will be fair, decent and just for each and every citizen.”

“By working together with the community, we can make greater contributions to knowledge, research, teaching and learning,” continued Harkavy. “It’s in those partnerships that powerful learning and discovery takes place.”

The conference included a book signing for the recently published “Knowledge for Social Change: Bacon, Dewey, and the Revolutionary Transformation of Research Universities in the Twenty-First Century,” written by Harkavy, Benson, Johnston and Puckett, as well as GSE professor Matthew Hartley; Rita Hodges, assistant director of the Netter Center; and Joann Weeks, the Netter Center’s associate director. The book employs history, social theory, and the Netter Center’s contemporary case study to argue for fundamentally reshaping universities to function as democratic, civic, and community engaged institutions.

The content and connections made at the conference will help inform and deepen the work of the Center for Service and Social Action as we embark on the next twenty-five years. ■

Dr. John J. DeGioia, President, Georgetown University, addresses the assembly on “Presidential Perspectives on Universities, Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement.”

5

Dr. Ira Harkavy delivers the opening address.

International Conference Explores Community Engagement for Democracy and Social Change

Scholars and practitioners gathered from 95 Colleges and Universities. High school students developed a high nutrition breakfast bar as part of a university social entrepreneurship venture.

Service-Learning is most effective when:

Learning outcomes are clearly defined.

Planning takes place before course begins to identify relevant service activities.

Students clearly understand the connection between the service activity and the course.

Reflection takes place before, during and after the service experience.

Discussions in class emphasize the connection between course content and experience.

Assessment measures knowledge, not the service experience.

Types of Service-Learning

Direct service—requires personal contact with people in need.

Indirect service—working “behind the scenes;” often centered in channeling resources to a problem.

Community-based research—a partnership of students, faculty, and community partners who collaboratively engage in research with the purpose of solving a pressing community problem or effecting social change.

Advocacy—requires students to lend their voices and talents to the effort of eliminating the cause of a specific problem, and/or increasing public awareness.

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E arly literacy is one of the most essential foundations to ensure a child’s academic success. As the ninth year of Carroll Reads gets underway, JCU tutors discover what a difference reading can make in

a child’s life. In the fall 2017 semester, forty-one John Carroll tutors have worked every week with over 100 students from Marion-Sterling Elementary School, Shoreview Elementary, St. Francis School, and the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Public Library. Each JCU tutor was assigned to work one-on-one with a child needing additional support to learn the letters, sounds and words that help them gain the confidence and skills they need to learn.

The relationships and bonds that form between the tutors and their students are beautiful to see and enrich both equally. With one-on-one support and an hour of tutoring each week, students in the program have made impres-sive progress and achieved incredible growth in their reading scores in just a few short months. The program continues in the spring semester building on the progress made.

One Carroll Reads tutor and CSSA Student Liaison, Katherine Burns, summed up the experience well: “Carroll Reads is such an incredible pro-gram! Reading with and helping the same kids every week really builds a relationship that you wouldn't think you could develop so quickly. These rela-tionships make seeing their progress as the semester goes by so much more rewarding and you can tell that the kids really enjoy the one-on-one time and attention that you give!” ■

Early Literacy Equals Long Term Success

Alondra Garcia is read a story in the Carroll Reads Program

Zachary Thomas tutors a hard working student in the Carroll Reads Program.

Marissa Stupeki engages curiosity with fun.

other people throughout everyday life. All in all, the students that participated in the Shepherd Internship this past summer felt they grew in ways that they might never have without the experiences provided by this amazing internship. ■

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T he Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty provides internship opportunities across

the United States for students from member universities. John Carroll, a founding member of the Consortium, sends students every year to explore the

complexities of poverty in the U.S. by working at non-profit agencies working to address and alleviate poverty.

Through the Shepherd Internship Program, students engage in an eight-week summer internship serving an agency that enables each student to experience work in his or her area of educational, professional, and civic interest. The internships are designed for education as well as for service. Students are matched with community non-profits and government funded organizations across the U.S. to learn about poverty, human rights, social justice, and how they can act on behalf of the poor.

During the summer of 2017, JCU sent Nicolette Bowersock ’18 to Washington, D.C. to work with the Washington Jesuit Academy; Claudia Stadler ’19 to Savannah, GA to work with Horizons Savannah; Caitlin Matthews ’19 to Atlanta, GA to work with the Gateway Center; and Grace Berry ’18 to Richmond, VA to work with Commonwealth Catholic Charities of Richmond.

These four students noted that the Shepherd Internship Program provided them with the opportunity to experience

poverty in either the fields they plan to work in after college or fields that have always interested them. They had the opportunity to take something they had learned about only in the classroom and experience it through a dynamic hands-on experience.

Grace Berry helped to resettle refugee families during her summer internship and was astounded by their kindness and generosity. After resettling a family, Grace recounted that “The wife gave me the shoes off of her feet. She wanted to give me something for helping them and it was so selfless. That is the nature of most refugees, so appreciative and so giving; they don’t have anything and yet they still find something to give.”

Through her work with individuals experiencing homeless at the Gateway Center in Atlanta, Caitlin Matthews came to understand the complexity of homelessness as well as the importance of being present to those you are serving. “You cannot simply look at homelessness from a bird’s eye view and discuss solutions. You have to meet the real life people and hear their stories. There must be an understanding and acknowledgement of the basic barriers these people are experiencing. It was important to me to treat each person with dignity and respect and to see them as individual human beings and not as a problem to fix.”

The relationships the students made with their fellow interns, coworkers, and clients they served at their respective organizations were the most cherished part of the experience. They also learned about the complexities of poverty and the challenges and opportunities in their respective communities.

For many, the greatest take away was feeling more certain about their desire to work in the field they were in and to continue working with those in poverty. They also felt this was an experience that would influence the way they interact with

JCU Students Engage in In-depth Poverty Studies Program through the Shepherd Consortium

Interns had the opportunity to take something they have learned about only in the classroom, and experience it through a dynamic hands-on experience.

From left to right: Nicolette Bowersock, Grace Berry, Caitlin Matthews, and Claudia Stadler.

JCU student Caitlin Matthews working with the community in Atlanta, Georgia.

Shepherd Intern, Grace Berry ‘18 (third from right) worked with women refugees in Richmond, VA.

Community Partner Spotlight: Cleveland Sight Center

Top left: The Cleveland Sight Center location at 1909 E. 101st St.

Left and above, right: Students participate weekly to assist CSC clients with GED preparation.

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“My favorite part of service each week is seeing and

working with the same group of kids. Whether it is simply

reading a story, working on math problems, or typing a

paper, seeing their eyes light up when they finally figure

something out is so rewarding. I love how no matter what, I always find myself leaving

service in a better mood than when I walked in because the

kids' happiness is truly infectious. They are the ones who helped me find my true

passion in life!”

“Helping the same kids every week really builds a relationship

that you wouldn't think you could develop so quickly. These relationships make seeing their progress through the semester so rewarding and you can tell that they really enjoy the time

they spend with you.”

“This semester, I was able to work with some of the older generations, which I hadn't

really done before. I enjoyed conversing with them and

hearing their points of view. It's these events and interactions that inspire me and that I keep

seeking in service.”

What is something from service that you would like to share, and how has it impacted your life?

L ocated in University Circle, the Cleveland Sight Center (CSC) serves more than

13,000 clients annually and is one of the largest agencies of its kind in the country.

Founded in 1906, CSC is the only organization in Northeast Ohio that offers comprehensive services for individuals who are blind or have experienced vision loss. CSC’s mis-sion is to empower people who are blind or who have limited vision to realize their full potential and to shape the community’s vision of that potential.

Through education, recreation, train-ing and assistive technology, CSC provides opportunities for those who are blind or have low vision to en-gage in activities and optimize re-maining eyesight. CSC has been a leader in this field and has pio-neered numerous programs that have since become national models.

John Carroll’s Center for Service and Social Action has partnered with the Cleveland Sight Center since the spring of 2015 to assist clients with GED preparation classes. The clas-ses are taught by an instructor from the Cuyahoga Community College ABLE/GED program in a special adaptive classroom located in the Cleveland Sight Center. John Car-roll service-learning students pro-vide one-on-one assistance for the CSC clients in these courses.

When asked what the most rewarding

aspect of her job entailed, Melissa

Bresnahan, Volunteer Manager at CSC,

former JCU alumna and CSSA Student

Liaison, responded, “The most rewarding

part of my position by far is getting the

chance to meet selfless volunteers who

have a passion for giving back to their

communities. I am consistently amazed

by the involvement CSC volunteers have

in the Cleveland Sight Center community

and beyond.” ■

Fall Highlights from CSSA

August

CSSA began celebrations for its 25th year, remembering and reflecting on a history of service to the JCU community, the city of Cleveland, and the University’s mission. (see page 1).

The 3rd Annual Community Partner Meeting took place on August 3rd, bringing together CSSA’s community partners from across the Cleveland community to network and learn from and with each other about students, service, and social justice in the local community (see page 4).

CSSA hired two new staff members, Heather Craigie and Lauren Rimar, to the team (see page 12).

September

The CSSA’s new online service registration system, GivePulse, was successfully launched.

The Carroll Reads Program began its 9th year of service through JCU. Students provided weekly tutoring to over 100 students across Cleveland elementary schools, working to improve reading skills and build relationships with students (see page 5).

October

Heather Craigie and James Graulty attended a training to work toward becoming Civic Engagement Facilitators, adding to the wealth of knowledge in the CSSA, and helping the team be better prepared to move from dialogue to collaborative action while working together with community partners.

November

Maryellen Callanan and JP Graulty attended a conference to learn about Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), a method of community movement and growth focusing on local assets as the primary building blocks of sustainable community development, for implementation in CSSA’s own work and mission.

JCU students attended the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington D.C., which brought together university students from across the U.S. to learn about social justice and advocacy (see page 4).

Sister Katherine Feely and Maryellen Callanan attended the Netter Center Conference at the University of Pennsylvania. The conference convened leaders and learners from around the globe to discuss and debate civic engagement on global and local stages.

December

CSSA hosted an end of the year reception for Service-Learning Faculty.

42 students attended the “Now What?” Workshop to reflect on their semester service experience.

Another successful semester of service ended on December 3rd, with 782 students participating in service.

9

95 weekly service activities were offered to students.

29 service-learning courses were offered.

24 faculty taught service-learning courses.

85 round-trip van trips were made to service activities each week.

In Fall 2017...

100 students were employed by CSSA to serve as Student Liaisons, Carroll Reads tutors, Reflection Readers, and more.

782

students completed a full semester of weekly service.

216

students, faculty, staff, and community members participated in the Cleveland Neighborhood Project

138

422

71

students participated in service coordinated by CSSA.

students completed a full semester of project-based community service.

students participated in one or more one-time service opportunities.

“I ask others to join me in this race for racial justice, to do your part, so that together we can create a new world. The society we live in is the result of human choices and decisions. That means that human beings can change things. For what human beings break, divide and separate, we can—with God’s help—also heal, unite and restore. What is now does not have to be. Therein lies our hope and our challenge.”

–Fr. Bryan MassingaleKeynote address, Ignatian Family Teach-In 2017

The JCU delegation joins together to stand for justice and witness for an end to racism.

JCU Students on the steps of the Capitol as they participate in Advocacy Day. Over 1,200 students met with their elected officials in Washington, DC as part of the Ignatian Solidarity Network Teach-In.

Discussion and dialogue at the Ignatian Family Teach-In November 3-7, 2017.

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Students witness to the power of advocacy in promoting justice and creating change.

JCU Students Row into the Deep at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice

11

ultimately helped set Dewayne free. Dewayne spent 23 hours in a room 17 steps long and 7 steps wide. Stolarz said, “Those without capital, get the capital punishment.” Stolarz fights for those without a voice, and works passionately to reform the justice system bringing an end to the death penalty.

The conference concluded with a day of advocacy on Capitol Hill. Students from JCU and Xavier University met with Senator Rob Portman to discuss the reforms needed in the immigration and the criminal justice systems. The John Carroll students who attended the teach-in plan to continue to meet as a delegation and bring back all they learned in order o engage the rest of the campus.■

O n November 3rd, 2017, over 1,800 high school and college students gathered in

Washington, D.C. to attend the 20th Annual Ignatian Family Teach-In to learn, reflect, pray, network, and advocate together. This conference, organized by the Ignatian Solidarity Network, is the largest Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S.

Twenty John Carroll students were on hand to learn from national leaders as well as their peers. The theme for this year’s conference was “Rowing into the Deep: Magis Meets Justice”. More than fifty break-out sessions were offered by an impressive line-up of national and international speakers.

The conference draws the Ignatian family together to advocate for social justice. It is a place where people are empowered, re-energized, inspired, challenged, and supported by a community that sees faith and justice integrally linked.

The primary focus of the conference centered on racial justice and immigration reform. There were many discussions on how to row into unfamiliar deep waters that are necessary to explore if we want to get anywhere.

Fr. Brian Massingale, one of the three main keynote speakers, addressed the issue of racism head on. Fr. Massingale is a theologian at Fordham University specializing in social ethics, with teaching/research interests in the areas of racial justice, liberation theology, and Catholic Social Thought. He is also the author of “Racial Justice and the Catholic Church” (Orbis, 2010). In his keynote address he stated, “For a believer, it is important to see racism as a soul sickness. Racism is that interior disease, that warping of the human spirit, that enables us to

create communities where some matter and some do not.” We need to acknowledge the hurt and let that fuel the change.

JCU Senior, Ese Osaghe, said of her time at the conference, “It was a riveting and enlightening experience that helped us all explore our political views, as well as our oneness within humanity.” Carlos Cruz, senior and former president of the Latin American Student Association (LASA), appreciated that institutions across the nation were uncovering multiple forms of racism and advocating for diversity and inclusion.

Rachel Mills ‘18, a Student Liaison for CSSA, attended the conference for the first time and her eyes were opened. One session that really caught her attention was a keynote by Brian Stolarz and Alfred Dewayne Brown on “Innocence, Racial Injustice, and the Death Penalty.”

Dewayne was wrongfully convicted of a crime in 2005, sentenced to the death penalty, and spent 12 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Stolarz was the attorney who

JCU Students at the 2017 IFTJ from left to right: Marissa Haas, Rachel Mills, Mary Frances McGowan, Marissa Foley, and Claire Matthews.

New Hires in the Center for Service and Social Action

The CSSA is excited to welcome two new staff members this Fall 2017 Semester!

Heather Craigie is the CSSA's new Assistant Director of Student Development and Lo-gistics. Heather has had a varied career in civic engagement initi-atives, including over a decade working as an experiential educator and college instructor

along the US-Mexico border. More recently, she managed faculty trainings and an Amer-iCorps VISTA program for Maine Campus Compact. Heather holds a master’s degree in Latin American Studies and is passionate about crossing borders, building community, and keeping up with her 3 and 7 year old sons.

Lauren Rimar joins CSSA as Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Com-munity Impact. Lauren graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a Master's degree in International Higher Education. She has worked in higher edu-cation for the last 5 years doing database

management, communications, and interna-tional and study abroad student advising.

We’re happy to have them on the team!

Boler Community Day: Service Means Business

Faculty, staff, and students enjoyed a tremendous day working together to address the local needs in the community. Eighty-six students participated in the day’s events at a variety of community service locations including:

Family Promise—working with homeless families

Providence House—a crisis nursery for children

South Chagrin Reservation—doing conservation work

St. Augustine Health Ministries—doing fall clean-up

West Side Catholic Center–sorting food donations

343 hours of service

Student Liaison Training Highlights from Fall 2017

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CSSA's 62 Student Liaisons completed a series of three monthly trainings in the Fall semester, each guided by the Social Change Model of Leadership framework. The content of the Fall CSSA Student Liaison training line-up included:

September: Envisioning a just world using Ignatian Pedagogy, presented by Chris Kerr, Executive Director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network.

October: Self-understanding, beliefs and goals through StrengthsFinders, presented by Dr. Dobie Moser from the Youth and Young Adult Office of the Diocese of Cleveland.

November: Engaging controversy by learning nonviolent communication skills, present-ed by Jeff Brown, Director, Center for Nonviolent Communication.

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Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Thea Ford

D r. Theron Ford, AssociateProfessor of Education in the Department of Education and

School Psychology, brings a depth of knowledge, research and passion to students in her service-learning courses. Her vast experience teaching in elementary schools, special education classrooms, and high schools informs her conviction of the power of service-learning as an essential tool for teaching her students throughout her career.

Dr. Ford first heard about Jesuit education during her doctoral program at Miami University of Ohio. Dr. Ford recalls her professors talking about the Jesuits and how they had an incredible mission around the world, often referring to them as “God’s bulldogs”. The Jesuit vision and philosophy of education and its influence around the world appealed to Dr. Ford and would later provide a pathway by which she would be able to fulfill her interests and passions.

The desire to be part of that Jesuit mission drew her to John Carroll in 2004. Before coming to John Carroll, Dr. Ford had experience teaching in kindergarten, special education and high school classrooms. These experiences are what eventually lead her to require service-learning in some of her courses.

One of Dr. Ford’s most significant experiences came about while she was teaching high school students. Between courses, Dr. Ford could always be found standing in the hallway as students walked from class to class, a friendly face, and a steadying presence. One day, a student stopped at her door and remarked to Dr. Ford, “Today is my last day at this school and I wanted to let you know that you’re the

only person that I’m going to miss.” When Dr. Ford asked why, the student responded, “Because every day when I walked past your door, you smiled at me.” The students words touched Dr. Ford, and revealed to her the importance of building relationships with her students, even through acts as simple as smiling and greeting them as they walked past her classroom.

In the field of education, creating relationships is especially important for the learning process. Service-learning provides a wonderful opportunity for her students to learn how to build such relationships with children week by week. Dr. Ford explains that service-learning deepens the outcomes of her course and impacts her students in significant ways. Through service-learning, her students have the ability to take the concepts from her class and go out and apply them in real world settings and then bring their experience back to the class.

One example of this was when one of her students, a history major, participated in service at a facility with senior citizens. In the ED 350 Multicultural Education class, they had been discussing issues of racism and discrimination, and this student had the opportunity to talk about this with one of the women at his service site. The woman shared with the student that her parents had been sharecroppers in Alabama and that the only way they could escape the poverty they lived in was to move north.

The student told Dr. Ford, “I would never have known this; this was like living history for me.” The student’s excitement and insight made it evident to Dr. Ford that service-learning courses bring the content to life, and life to the content while providing students with a much better understanding of the theories and concepts they are taught in the classroom.

Dr. Ford sees hope in this generation of students in their drive, not only to go out and learn in the field, but also in their desire and interest to discuss difficult topics in the classroom. In one of her classes, some students found an article talking about diversity and asked if they could spend some class time analyzing the article and discuss the author’s viewpoint. Dr. Ford was

delighted that they were using tools outside of the classroom and possessed a desire to discuss difficult topics in the class that were not part of an assignment.

As a member of the Education Department, one of Dr. Ford’s biggest challenges is encouraging students to be advocates for their students when they enter the field, especially those who are disadvantaged. She encourages her students to be advocates even if they end up teaching in high-end schools. She notes, “Our education system is woefully unfair and students need to be encouraged to push themselves to be the voices that

are being active in making changes to make changes.”

Service-learning helps students begin to take on this role of being an advocate. By including service as a part of the academic learning process, Dr. Ford believes that students can be exposed to and recognize their ability to make change and be a voice for those who may not be able to speak for themselves. ■

Service - learn ing deepens the outcomes of mycourse and impacts my students as they go out and apply the concepts they learn in my c lassroom.

Our educat ion system is woefu l ly unfa i r and students need to be encouraged to push themselves to be the vo ices that are be ing act ive in making changes.

Dr. Thea Ford, Author and Associate Professor in Education and School Psychology

First Year students, staff and faculty gather for the Cleveland Neighborhood Project, bringing a new class into service and social action

Centered in the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching in dialogue with the contemporary Jesuit commitment to a faith that does justice, the Center for Service and Social Action seeks to educate for

justice by offering opportunities for learning through service and advocacy.

The Center connects the campus with the community through sustained partnerships that

enable us to realize the Jesuit goal of developing well-educated men and women who understand

what it means to stand in solidarity with those who are poor and marginalized; to engage in ongoing reflection; and to build a more just and humane

society.

Center for Service and Social Action

Mission Statement

@CSSAJCU

/CSSA.JCU

John Carroll University Center for Service and Social Action AD-32 1 John Carroll Boulevard, University Heights, OH 44118

Phone: 216.397.4698 Web: www.jcu.edu/service Email: service@jcu.edu Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 am—8 pm;

Friday, 8 am—6 pm

Contributors: Sr. Katherine Feely, SND | Director

Maryellen Callanan | JP Graulty Heather Craigie | Lauren Rimar

Julia Hohner ‘17 | Rachel Mills ‘18 | Hannah Singerline ‘19

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The Class of 2021 begins their college careers with Cleveland Neighborhood Project: jumping in with generosity, service and team building.

As part of Living the Mission Day on Thursday, August 24th, 216 students, faculty and staff joined in for the annual Cleveland Neighborhood Project. Participants engaged in service projects at MedWish International, Eliza Bryant Village, Fati-ma Family Center, and St. Agnes Our Lady of Fatima Church followed by a communal meal and reflection. It was a day of teamwork and solidarity as a way to welcome JCU’s newest students to the community.