New Faculty Director
As this newsletter arrives in your offices, Dina Anselmi, Associate Professor of Psychology, will have completed almost a semester as faculty director of the Community Learning Initiative, only the third person to serve in that role since the inception of CLI in 1995. She was preceded by Dan Lloyd and Jim Trostle. Dina’s three year appointment will be interrupted by her sabbatical next semester and Jim Trostle has generously offered to step into the role for that time.
Dina has been a practitioner of community learning for many years and often teaches two courses a semester with a community learning component. Her senior seminar, Risk and Resilience, offers one of the most intense course-rooted projects at the college. Dina has also presented a CLI primer at new faculty orientation for the past several years. She is a real champion of this pedagogy.
In addition to her academic community collaborations, Dina is a resident of and active in the Hartford community. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of The Connecticut Housing Investment Fund, Inc. (CHIF) a private, nonprofit organization established to finance affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization projects throughout Connecticut.
Faculty Development Workshops
The Community Learning Initiative presented two faculty development workshops in the 2005-2206 academic year.
On November 18, 2005, in collaboration with the Writing Center, and TCCTR, we presented an in-service workshop for faculty interested in learning about final products and presentations in CLI classes. Trinity faculty members Jack Dougherty (Educational Studies), Alison Draper (Interdisciplinary Science), and Barry Feldman (Public Policy), joined by students and community partners, shared their final projects. Their syllabi and project descriptions can be found at /UG/UE/CLI/CLICourses2005-2006.htm; then click on links to Educational Studies 308, Interdisciplinary Science 117 and Public Policy 846.On April 7, 2006, CLI presented a workshop for faculty interested in learning about community learning possibilities for first-year students. Trinity faculty members Tom Thornton )Anthropology), Sarah Raskin (Psychology and Neuroscience), Hebe Guardiola-Diaz (Biology and Neuroscience), and Dina Anselmi (Psychology), joined by their students and community partners, shared their projects in first-year classes. Examples can be found at
/UG/UE/CLI/CLICourses2005-2006.htm ; then click on links to FYSM 152, FYSM 232 and FYSM 260.
Trinity CLI celebrates 10th anniversary with Symposium
The 2005-06 academic year marked the 10th anniversary of the Community Learning Initiative as a formally recognized academic program at Trinity College. The year was distinguished by a record number 41 courses with community learning components, and a combined enrollment of 650 students.
On October 9th and 10th Trinity College, along with the University of Hartford, and Capital Community College, sponsored a Symposium on Campus/Community Partnerships. The Symposium was held at Trinity and funded by grants from the President’s Cornerstone Fund and the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education. The purpose of this event was to encourage academic collaborations between and among Consortium schools and community organizations. The 120 participants included faculty, administrators and students from 7 Consortium schools and representatives from 25 community organizations. Panels from Capital Community College, the University of Hartford and Trinity College presented campus/community projects unique to their institutions.
A working lunch produced a plethora of ideas, which will be categorized, compiled and distributed to all participants. Several follow up meetings have already taken place and there is discussion about another Symposium next year, co-sponsored by other Consortium schools. We have also asked member institutions to share descriptions of their community-service learning courses, which we will then compile into a booklet and distribute to all the campuses.
CLI Courses Make Headlines
Working with the community organizing group Hartford Areas Rally Together, students in Professor Dan Lloyd’s class, Invisible Cities, created an interactive map of abandoned and vandalized buildings in the city. Their work was featured in a New York Times article on May 3, 2006. For a copy of the article contact Elly Jacobson at x4275.
Along with Associate Professor Jack Dougherty, former students in a Cities, Suburbs and Schools CLI class, researched and analyzed student demographics in Hartford area magnet schools. Their work was featured in a Hartford Courant article on July 23, 2006 entitled A Decade of Half Measures: 10 Years After a Hartford Mother and Son Forced City Schools to Integrate, Progress has Dragged. Here is a link to the article. /depts/educ/CSS/Sheff2006.htm
Of Note
Trinity College was one of 81 colleges and universities across the country included in a Princeton review publication entitled Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement. “The schools in Colleges with a Conscience care deeply about their public missions and actively encourage students to explore socially responsible work. Many have excellent programs that incorporate community work into academic classes, giving students a chance to learn about social issues through direct experience.”
Many of our CLI courses use presentations as a capstone experience. One of the more unique presentations last semester was in Assistant Professor Eric Galm’s Ethnomusicology class. The students presented their final research projects to the community at La Paloma Sabenera, a bookstore and café in Hartford. A drum and dance party followed the presentations.
Upcoming Events
The second Community Learning Brainstorming Lunch of the semester will be on Friday, December 1st at noon in Alumni Lounge. Our first lunch of the semester in early October, attracted 25 faculty, 3 of whom were new tenure track faculty interested in community collaborations. If you are thinking of incorporating a community learning component into an upcoming course, fine tuning an already existing community learning component, or are just interested in hearing about what other faculty are doing in this area, please join us for lively conversation and lunch catered by Timothy's.
In the spring semester, CLI will be presenting a faculty development workshop on using technology in community learning courses. A date and time has yet to be determined.
Advisory Group
The Community Learning Initiative is guided by an advisory group that includes:
Dina Anselmi Joe Barber
Stefanie Chambers Jack Dougherty
Hebe Guardiola-Diaz David Henderson
Dan Lloyd Theresa Morris
Jim Trostle
For more information on CLI contact:
Dina Anselmi (through December 2006)
LSC 207 x2236
Dina.anselmi@trincoll.edu
Jim Trostle (spring semester 2007)
McCook 304 x2564
James.trostle@trincoll.edu
Elly Jacobson, Program Coordinator for Urban Academic Engagements
Williams 225 x4275
Elinor.jacobson@trincoll.edu
or visit our website at /UG/UE/CLI/
CLI Newsletter 2004-2005