The theme of this year’s symposium will be “Advancing the Engagement Agenda through Campus and Community Collaboration.”

“The symposium’s theme reflects our commitment to supporting the creation of a culture of engagement in higher education,” said Glenn Bowen, WCU director of service learning and symposium organizer. “We are striving to build strong collaborative relationships between institutions and communities based on mutual respect as we prepare students for their roles as active, engaged citizens.”

The lead presenter at the event will be Robert Shumer, founder and former director of the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, the largest source of information on service learning in the United States. Shumer will address several topics, including “Education, Pure and Simple: Why Service Learning is a Requirement of Good Pedagogy in Democratic Societies,” “Assessment: The Key to Quality Service Leaning,” and “Models of Service Learning and Community Engagement: Connecting Higher Education with Community partnerships that Matter.”

Shumer also is the vice chair of the International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement. He lectures in the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development and in its School of Social Work.

Kyle Carter, WCU provost, will open the daylong symposium in the theatre of the University Center, and concurrent session presenters will come from Elon University, North Carolina State University, New York College of Technology and WCU.

For more information, contact WCU Center’s for Service Learning at (828) 227-7184 or gbowen@wcu.edu.

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Last modified Wednesday, May 7, 2008