Notes:

Civic Engagement at the Crossroads: Rethinking Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities

The misson of the Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement through Higher Education is to promote networking among practitioners, research, ethical practices, reciprocal campus-community partnerships, sustainable programs, and a culture of engagement and public awareness through service-learning and other forms of civic engagement.

The 2009 Summit will bring together national speakers and more than 350 practitioners for dialogue and a forum for best practices.

The maturing of service-learning and civic engagement during the last quarter of the 20th century challenged us to rethink the concepts of “service” and “learning.”

Service can no longer be taken for granted, complicated by questions of who serves and who is served. Learning has also been complicated by blurred lines between the learner and the teacher.

The 21st century challenges us to take seriously such possibilities as students as teachers, faculty as learners, and new models for community partners. Thus the questions multiply: Can we expand our stakeholder base to government and corporate partners? How can students take on teaching and leadership roles? What models help faculty to learn best? How can community partners share the role of instructor?

Join a variety of stakeholders at the 2009 Gulf-South Summit to explore the evolving roles of faculty, students, and community partners and the many ways service-learning and civic engagement and can be redefined to meet the needs of the 21st century.

(Register Now! Early Bird Deadline: Dec. 18)

The 2009 Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning will offer a rich variety of presentations, four pre-conference workshops, four plenary sessions, outstanding speakers, and an excellent opportunity to network with fellow service-learning practitioners and stakeholders.

The Summit begins with preconference workshops at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, and concludes with a hands-on service project on Saturday, March 28 – a playground build led by 2007 Thomas Ehrlich Awardee, plenary speaker at the 2008 Summit, and LSU Biological Engineering professor, Dr. Marybeth Lima.

Please visit the event url listed below for registration information and further details.