35 professors, administrators and staff participated in a roundtable discussion and workshop on “community engaged scholarship” on November 19th, drawing 24 academics from seventeen different disciplines across the College of New Jersey Campus. The breadth of the academic turnout was described as “unprecedented” by the lead facilitator and co-organizer of the event.
The event was co-organized and co-led by Dr. Saul Pedersen, Executive Director of New Jersey Campus Compact (NJCC), a statewide association of College and University Presidents that aims to promote civic and community engagement. TCNJ is a member of NJCC. Staff from the Center for Community Engaged Learning and Research worked with NJCC to develop and deliver the program with a two key colleagues, Professors He Len Chung and Bea Chiang.
Provost Jacqueline Taylor kicked off the event in the Education Building with some remarks about the value of community engaged learning and its connection to TCNJ’s mission. Assistant Provost for Community Engaged Learning Patrick Donohue followed by connecting the discussion topic to the work of Ernest Boyer (Scholarship Reconsidered) and the state of community engaged learning at the College.
Professors He Len Chung (Psychology) and Bea Chaing (Accounting) described two community engaged learning projects that they integrated into their respective classes with support from Center and Bonner Institute staff. They highlighted the positive impact on learning, the lessons they learned while working on both campus and community agendas, and some of the challenges that comes along with this work.
All of the above set the stage for participants to gather in small groups to discuss critical issues—including how practice and teaching can inform the development of new knowledge and theories (as well as traditional research)—and what other institutions are doing to link community engaged scholarship to tenure and promotion processes.