Partnership for Community Engagement and Democracy Fellowship

University of La Verne and Claremont Graduate University Partnership

The Partnership for Community Engagement and Democracy in Community Based Learning and Community Engagement is a collaboration between the University of Laverne’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement and Claremont Graduate University’s (CGU) Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program.

Currently, University of La Verne offers community based learning courses that address social issues such as aging and community, immigration, homelessness, youth at risk and literacy. Overall, these courses, along with others, aim to address the different ways activism, social justice, and civility are addressed by undergraduate students in local community partner sites.

Doctoral students who have completed their coursework requirements, and officially declared ABD, are eligible to apply to the PCED program. If selected, the Fellow will shadow experienced CBL University of La Verne faculty throughout one semester, attend all class session, meet with the faculty mentor to explore CBL pedagogy and concepts. The PCED Fellow will be invited to teach 2 to 3 times during the semester, receive feedback and engage in self-reflection on their CBL pedagogical development. The PCED Fellow will also be encouraged to attend teaching professional development sessions through the PFF program at CGU.

Toward the semester’s end, the OCCE and PFF administrators will determine if an invitation will be extended to design a Community Service (CS) syllabus that addresses a social issue of their interests.

Approximately three CGU and three University of La Verne doctoral students will be selected as PCED Fellows and will receive a $1,000. 00 stipend for their semester-long participation.

About Learning Through Community Service: CS 305

University of La Verne’s Community Service (CS) pedagogical approach draws from Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and seeks to recognize the gifts, talents, abilities and assets of our local communities, students, faculty and staff.

We work collectively toward addressing the most pertinent social issues that communities identify as partners in this reciprocal partnership. Undergraduate students engage with community partner in order to complete 20 hours of service, by serving approximately three hours per week over the course of a semester. This configuration of service can vary, given the social justice issues related to each CS 305 course. The aim is for students to be actively engaged in the nonprofit organization’s mission and goals, in hopes of reducing systems of oppression.

Therefore, the intention is for the selected PCED Fellow to understand Community Service theory to practice for the purposes of future teaching opportunities and therefore, integrate CS into their courses. Overall, University of La Verne and CGU PPF understand the national academic agenda to develop civic and community engagement onto each university campus.

CS 305 courses five learning outcomes

  1. Reflect on service as a component of active citizenship, community engagement, and social responsibility
  2. Demonstrate reciprocity and responsiveness in service with a community organization
  3. Describe and analyze the social issues relevant to the community organization
  4. Identify issues of power and privilege as related to self and the homeless
  5.  Explore Asset Based Community Development methodology in the context of self, a non-profit community organization, and those the organization serves

Criteria for Eligibility and Selection

  1. You must be a PhD student in good academic standing and have completed coursework.
  2. You must be able to attend Fellowship meetings and professional development through the PFF program and Fellows meetings as scheduled.
  3. Upon initial selection, confirmation will depend on your being able to make scheduled meeting and training dates. Required meetings: August 19 2019 from 12:00pm-2:00pm, August 30 2019 from 12:00pm-2:00pm, September 30 2019 Time TBD, December 9 2019 from 12pm- 2pm.

Application Process

  1. Fill out the application form and submit it, together with your curriculum vitae, and a personal statement.
  2. Your personal statement should explain your interest in and readiness for service learning and community engagement. Make an argument for why you would be a worthy candidate for this experience and the ways in which you see yourself taking community engaged teaching and learning forward in your discipline. Please also provide any available evidence of previous community engagement and service that speaks to your own engagement in community and service learning.
  3. Applications will close on May 15.
  4. Interviews will be set up and finalists will be notified by July 5 .

About OCCE

About Preparing Future Faculty CGU