SPELMAN COLLEGE
www.spelman.edu

Background
Current Institutional Involvement and Commitment to Civic Learning
Proposed Activities to Be Funded as Part of the Cluster
Expected Student Learning and Institutional Outcomes
Ability to Provide Leadership for Additional Civic Learning Clusters
Leadership Team

 Background

Spelman College is a historically Black, private liberal arts college that enrolls 2,000 women from 43 states and 16 countries.  In its "Strategic Plan 2010: Blueprint for the Future" the College indicates that it is "Committed to the development of the total person by providing opportunities for students' intellectual, spiritual, social and emotional growth and development.

The Spelman education seeks to empower women of diverse ages, nationalities, and backgrounds to recognize their full potential. At the same time Spelman women will serve as resources to help women, men and children – especially people of color – to more fully recognize their worth as individuals and heighten their aspirations."

 Current Institutional Involvement and Commitment to Civic Learning

Spelman was founded on the principle of service, and this commitment to the core ideals and functioning of a civil society continues to permeate the Spelman living and learning environment.  The College has established a variety of programs that provide the entire student body with the opportunity to be active participants in the democratic process and to explore what it means to be ethical, responsible, and positive agents of social change.  The First-Year Orientation program, for example, is a year-long initiative required of all incoming, first-year students.  The program includes a one-credit course, co-curricular activities, and a bi-weekly series of convocations.  The Johnnetta B. Cole Institute for Community Service and Community Building (JBC Institute) provides a central hub to connect the campus with the community.  Each year 45 percent of Spelman students volunteer as mentors, tutors, teaching assistants and the like at local public schools, social service agencies, hospitals, and community-based organizations.  The Bonner Scholars Program provides scholarship support to an annual class of 20 incoming students who, throughout their high school years, have evidenced an exemplary commitment to community.  These students are expected to continue their community involvement, while simultaneously serving as catalysts to mobilize other students on the Spelman campus to participate in various civic-minded activities.  Student activities are complemented by a number of service-learning courses, including an oral history project in anthropology in which faculty and students work with senior citizens to document family lineage, and an upper-level course in Spanish in which faculty and students serve as interpreters at a local public health facility.  In 1998, the College collaborated with the 60 businesses that are members of the institution's Corporate Partners Program in order to launch the Leadership Initiative.  This program engages students in an intensive study of the rudiments of leadership, a highly-valued asset for leading civic-minded activities on and off campus.
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Proposed Activities to Be Funded as Part of the Cluster . 

Spelman College proposes to bring a more integrated and systematic approach to the numerous, and often disparate, civic learning activities that exist on campus.  The College's goal, as articulated in the strategic plan Blueprint for the Future, is to institutionalize policies and procedures, and develop an appropriate infrastructure that will strengthen the College's ability to continue to produce students who are committed – in thought and in practice – to the principles of democracy and responsible citizenship. Through a cross-functional effort administered through the Division of Student Affairs, the College plans to examine ways and implement pilot initiatives that can assist it to be more accountable, collaborative, and responsive to students, faculty and the communities that it serves, as well as to serve as a model for other minority-serving, liberal arts, and women's institutions.  Activities over the project period will be focused in three key areas: 

 Campus Administrative Infrastructure.  Under this component, Spelman will undertake a comprehensive review, assessment, and evaluation of current programs, projects, and academic and administrative units designed to support civic learning.  This assessment will include collecting baseline data, surveying faculty, students, alumnae, and community partners, and developing a true "profile" of the myriad service/civic learning initiatives on campus. A particular emphasis will be placed upon conducting an external evaluation of the Office of Community Service.  This analysis will provide a logical framework within which to recommend policy changes to support a more integrated approach and begin to affect a total institutional transformation.

 Faculty and Staff Development.  Under this component, faculty and staff – usually viewed by each other and by the student body as distinct and non-intersecting entities -- will be able to collaborate on initiatives to improve and create a more supportive environment for civic learning.  Activities include seed funding to develop service-learning courses; to engage in community-centered research; partner with local organizations to provide residents with occupational skills training and leadership development; to gather and disseminate information; and to otherwise serve as an accessible resource for community interaction and involvement.  It is envisioned that such collaboration between faculty and administrators will engender each with a greater appreciation for the role that the entire college plays in educating students, as well as open the door for continued dialogue, interaction, and the development of strategies for improved delivery of service. 

 Student Leadership Development.  This component is central to Spelman's mission as a student-centered institution.  It will provide students with the opportunity for introspection and self-reflection in the hopes of giving personal voice, meaning and definition to what it means to be a moral, ethical, and responsible citizen in the 21^st century.  A core of selected students will work through the Office of Community Service during their four- to five-year tenure at Spelman.  Each student will self-select an issue or cause that is of personal interest.  She (or a collaborative team) will then be required to work with staff in the Office of Community Service and a faculty member in order to conduct a review of research and become an "expert" on this issue.  The research gathering will be complemented by placement in an internship in order to gain first-hand knowledge and practical experience.  The students also will be expected to serve as catalysts, inspiring other students to become involved by making presentations to campus-based student groups or traveling with faculty to present papers at professional meetings.  As a capstone experience, students will be provided with funding in order to coordinate an annual Youth Leadership Summit.  The Summit is designed to bring together youth from the surrounding communities and other college campuses to engage in fruitful dialogue and devise a plan of intentional action to address issues that are uppermost in the minds of the leaders of tomorrow.
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Expected Student Learning and Institutional Outcomes

It is anticipated that as a result of the intensive array of activities the College has proposed students will develop the requisite skills and acquire knowledge sufficient to:

1) Develop their own sense and definition of civic responsibility, self- and community-empowerment.

2) Constantly assess and hone their values, beliefs, and understanding of themselves, as well as their appreciation and empathy for the circumstances of others.

3) Increase their willingness to participate in civic activities in the community and serve as a catalyst to facilitate peer involvement.

4) Critically examine the political, economic, and social inequalities that exist within our society.

5) Use existing laws, institutional structures, democratic procedures, and other legitimate means and methods of their own design to make informed decisions, manage conflict, and orchestrate positive change.

From an institutional perspective, it is anticipated that the implementation of the proposed initiative will assist Spelman to:

1) Fully quantify and codify the broad array of civic learning initiatives on campus and evaluate impact.

2) Design a strengthened administrative infrastructure to support future growth, including the expansion of the Office of Community Service.

3) Revise or articulate a new set of policies, procedures, processes and unifying vision statement that is consistent with the plan of growth and that fully supports an inclusive and integrative approach to civic learning -- including the requirement that students complete a minimum number of service hours prior to graduation.

4) Put in place formalized incentives and professional development opportunities sufficient to re-new and re-invigorate faculty and foster collaborative action with other units of the College.

5) Develop strengthened linkages with the community and other colleges and universities.

6) Develop a blueprint to assist other colleges and universities to implement similar institutional transformation initiatives on their campus to promote civic learning and community connectedness.

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Ability to Provide Leadership for Additional Civic Learning Clusters

Spelman indicates that it can serve as a leader for the development of future civic learning clusters through its role as an historically Black college, a woman's college, a liberal arts college, and one of the leading educators of women in science.  The college has numerous associations with colleges and universities regionally and nationally through which it can be instrumental as a resource in building additional civic learning clusters.  For example, Spelman College is a member of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) consortium which includes five other historically black colleges and universities.
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Leadership Team

Project Director:
Teresa Johnson, Associate Dean of Student Activities

Zenobia Hikes, Vice-President for Student Affairs

Team Members:
Sylvia Bozeman, Associate Provost for Science and Mathematics
Marilyn Davis, Professor of Political Science
Victoria Durant-Gonzalez, Director of the Office of Community Service
Akiba Harper, Chairperson of the Spelman Faculty Council
John Johnson, Director for Institutional Research and Planning
Felicia Smith, Director, Bonner Scholars Program
Cynthia Spence, Academic Dean
Romie Tribble, Associate Provost
TBA – Vice-President of the Student Government Association
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