Previous projects have provided students with the opportunity to provide useful information and original research using skills that prepare them for professional careers.

For further information contact Greg Lindsey at glindsey {at} iupui(.)edu. or the SPEA website at www.spea.iupui.edu/

Contact: Roberta Ann Johnson, Dept of Politics, at (415) 422-6296 or johnsonr {at} usfca(.)edu< /a>

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

Contact: Political Science Service at (219) 464-6921

From the outset, our students, faculty, staff and administrators are actively involved in our planning for the debate. There are also volunteer opportunities for them during the debate itself.
An informed and engaged UMass community has a front-row seat at a once-in-a-lifetime educational experience.

Presidential Debate web site: http://www.umb.edu/debate/index1.html

The Great River Greening Project: http://www.greatrivergreening.org/

For the past six years, hundreds of students in The Global Experience classes have participated in simulated Model United Nations Security Council conferences. Freshmen learn about international issues from the perspectives of the countries that are members of the U.N. Security Council. They research the history and foreign policy of their assigned countries so they can accurately portray positions on various issues. Assuming a different cultural role deepens the student s understanding of his or her own views and beliefs, as well as those of others.

Upper-class students from the 40-member Model U.N. club visit The Global Experience classes to discuss world events, the structure of the U.N., and parliamentary procedures. The Model U.N. club works with faculty to organize and run three-day mock Security Council meetings at the end of the semester. The freshmen serve as delegates and advocate for their assigned countries as the council members present and debate their positions, synthesize divergent opinions, and pass resolutions to resolve world issues, such as nuclear proliferation, the Bosnia situation, or any other current crisis or problem. Without exception, these marathon conferences bristle with energy, and the level of student engagement is remarkable. Seniors surveyed at graduation indicate that the Model U.N. simulation was the best learning experience of their freshman year or of any General Studies class in which they were enrolled.

In 1999 the methodology of this simulation was adopted for all Global Experience classes and expanded to include simulated conferences on gender and environmental issues as well as the U.N. Security Council. All first-year students now participate in simulated conferences requiring them to research, present, debate, and reach resolution on political, gender, and environmental issues from the perspectives of different foreign countries.

Connecting first-year Global Experience classes with simulated international conferences helps students to make connections between classroom knowledge and real-world dilemmas and to develop the competencies and habits necessary for responsible civic leadership. This practice has promise for developing students as capable leaders committed to finding solutions to public problems in local and global communities.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

Website: http://case.rutgers.edu/

The college chose this unique approach to reach out to New York City s youth because of its relevance to the college s immediate goal to cultivate leadership potential among younger populations. Students who participated in Presidential Convention 2000 received valuable lessons in the types of skills verbal, analytic and written that are required of leaders. In addition, students had the opportunity to interact with major political officials from both the Democratic and Republican parties. Presidential Convention 2000 also sought to take advantage of the ethnic and economic diversity of New York City to further an understanding of differences and inclusion among the city s youth.

Presidential Convention 2000 was a unique opportunity for students to learn about and participate in our political system. The event was also an important step in creating significant ties between New York City s public high schools and Hunter. We are pleased to report that this event received excellent press coverage: the Daily News, Newsday, NY1, WLIB, National Public Radio, Voice of America and Radio Liberty covered Presidential Convention 2000.

Hunter College Presidential Elections 2000 web site: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/pc2000/

On our Westchester campuses students are consistently developing leadership and citizenship skills through a broad array of volunteer and community service activities. A recent example is the Hudson River Marine Sanitation Act, which is an initiative to develop legislation for consideration by the New York State Legislature. Working in partnership with the Hudson River Keeper, students in a political science class in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences have formed the Hudson Environmental Legislation Project (H.E.L.P.). The proposed bill would require marinas on the Hudson River to install pump-out facilities thus meeting federal requirements for the River to be declared a No Discharge Zone. The class has expressed the desire to be the lead sponsor and is recruiting the support of local State Assembly and Senate representatives including the Chair of the New York State Assembly Committee on Environmental Protection and New York State Governor George Pataki.

Pace Rewards web site: http://www.pace.edu/em/StuDevNYC/Pace_Rewards.html
Contact person: Dawn Knipe, Assistant Dean for Students, CampusActivities {at} pace(.)edu

The program combines a year-long internship of twenty hours a week in a public or non-profit agency with two seminars on issues important to the future of New York City. Special events such as tours, guest lectures, and career workshops enhance the program.

Over the year, Scholars gain:

Firsthand experience of the institutional, economic and political forces that shape public policy.
An opportunity to work directly with public servants on issues that confront them daily.
A generous stipend.
Eighteen credits in Urban Studies.
A mentor from the Hunter College Alumni Association who has similar career and/or personal interests.
A competitive edge in seeking public service careers or admission to graduate school. With the program director, scholars review job descriptions provided by agencies, selecting several at which to interview. Internships are matched as closely as possible with students’ interests and skills.
Scholars take on specific projects, conduct research and analysis, attend staff meetings, and become involved in the functions of their agencies.
Public Service Scholars also participate in two weekly seminars each semester:
– An in-Service Seminar which encompasses the work in the internship and provides an introduction to skills that promote a successful internship.
– Seminar on the City which focuses on the problems of New York City and possible solutions.
Internship placements are available in over 200 public and non-profit agencies and offices of elected officials.

For more information, contact the Hunter College Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, urban {at} hunter.cuny(.)edu

One of the highlights of the Ashbrook Center is the John M. Ashbrook Memorial Dinner where students have the opportunity to attend a private, off-the-record discussion with the evening s distinguished speaker. Speakers that have visited Ashland University include:

Ashbrook Center web site: http://www.ashbrook.org/

A partnership with Portland public schools’ Migrant Education Program engages PSU students in teaching and tutoring migrant and Title 1 students. PSU also has partnerships that serve the Portland refugee community, such as SOAR (Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees) and IRCO (International Refugee Center of Oregon). Students assist refugees who have recently arrived in Portland with language acquisition and navigation of community resources.

A course in contemporary American Indian policy has students interview tribal government members, tribal resource managers, and health care providers to produce a “”Handbook of Indian Affairs in Northwest Oregon”". The handbook is distributed to public policy practitioners who may lack a deeper understanding of Indian Affairs.

Website: www.pdx.edu

Excerpted from Diversity Digest Summer 2001