Political Science Department

Memorandum

To:      Beth Paul, Provost

From: Daryl R. Fair

           Political Science Department

Date:  10/23/2006

Re:     Community Engaged Learning

At its meeting today, the Liberal Learning Program Council approved the plan presented by Pat Donohue for meeting

the Community Engaged Learning requirement for the current first year students. 

In discussing this matter, committee members expressed concerns about a number of matters relating to Community Engaged Learning.  One committee member summed the matter up nicely by saying that the college needs to develop a plan that is educationally valuable, fiscally sustainable, and administratively simple. 

To expand on that theme, what committee members are concerned about is the possibility that this program will devolve into an increasingly ad hoc arrangement.  We understand that Pat’s position is funded by soft money and that he is on leave from his “real” job in order to undertake this assignment.  This seems like a precarious situtation.  We realize that the current arrangement was a response to a drastic budget crisis, but are concerned that a worthwhile program will falter unless something more permanent can be developed.

In addition to the first year program, the Committee also discussed today the need for upper level courses that meet the Community Engaged Learning requirement.  Once again, it seems like a more permanent arrangement for administering this program would be most helpful in getting more such courses developed.  In the interim, we suggest that the college use a “trickle down” approach.  We suggest that you discuss the need for more upper level Community Engaged Learning courses with the deans and ask them to bring the need to the attention of department chairs.  LLPC would like to implement the upper level component of Community Engaged Learning as soon as possible, but the need for enough courses to satisfy the need makes us wary of doing so.  Earlier efforts to increase the number of courses have faltered; perhaps an initiative coming from Academic Affairs would have a salutary effect.