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This Month in Service Learning

Read about all of the service learning activities happening across campus each month.

  • published: 2024/04/26
  • contact: Robyn Loos - UNO Service Learning Academy
  • email: unosla@unomaha.edu
Wordle image for the question What do you think when you hear the word "Service Learning?"

The Service Learning Academy facilitates rigorous experiential learning experiences for students to apply their classroom content to community-identified opportunities in collaboration with UNO faculty members and community partners. We will highlight how our team and partners meet our metropolitan mission each month.

Welcome Associate Director Rosey Higgs!

The Service Learning Academy is thrilled to welcome the latest and greatest addition of full-time staff. Learn a little bit about Rosey below.

Rosey Higgs received her Bachelor of Science in Social Work and her Master of Social Work degrees from UNO. Rosey has worked in a variety of nonprofit organizations and has extensive and varied experience in the nonprofit sector. She has a passion for service and collaborative work and finds joy in helping others reach their goals. Most recently, Rosey served as the Director of Programs at the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands and as an adjunct instructor at UNO. As a student of Barbara Weitz, an advisee of Paul Sather, and a lifelong Maverick, joining the UNO SLA team feels like coming home.

Rosey currently serves on the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Nebraska & the Snow-Redfern Foundation. Previous board service includes EPIC for Girls, the Maha Festival, and The Big Garden. She is a graduate of Leadership Nebraska Class 10, Nonprofit Executive Institute Class 4, Leadership Omaha Class 35, Leadership Council Bluffs Class 31, and ICAN Defining Leadership.

Rosey lives in Omaha with her wife, their dog, and their two cats. Her favorite hobbies are camping, kayaking, riding her bike, watching cooking shows, and going to every music festival her schedule allows.



Service Learning Seminar: Save The Date

Join the Service Learning Academy for our annual Service Learning Seminar from July 15-19, 2024! This 4.5-day interactive workshop brings together teams of P-12 educators, UNO faculty members, after-school facilitators, and community partners with the shared goal of developing collaborative service learning courses to implement within the next 18 months. Participants will learn more about service learning, connect with community partners and leave with a well-developed service learning course.

To register, please fill out this survey.



Representing UNO at Campus Compact

Earlier this month Service Learning staff presented at Campus Compact held in Denver, Colorado. Campus Compact is a national conference focused on the role of higher education in building healthy communities and fostering a just and equal democracy. Sessions explore topics such as civic learning and democratic engagement, publicly engaged scholarship, practice, and teaching, community-engaged partnerships, institutional action, and anchor initiatives. UNO speakers included Dr. Terri Crawford, Dr. Julie Dierberger, Dr. Michelle Friend, Dan Krueger, Schmeeka Simpson (community partner), and Dr. Kristina Stamatis.

Dr. Julie Dierberger and Dr. Michelle Friend presented on the topic, “Community engagement and data as the way forward.” The presentation discussed a service learning course, how it leverages the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center and Service Learning Academy to engage community, and what student outcomes have been from the six semesters the course has been run.

Dr. Julie Dierberger and Dan Krueger facilitated a roundtable discussion on the topic, “Measuring service learning outcomes: Quantifying impact to social mobility.” The session focused on experiences and insights into measuring the impact of service learning courses on student success, community engagement, and social mobility. Dr. Terri Crawford, Dr. Julie Dierberger, and Schmeeka Simpson facilitated a session focused on investing in Redlined spaces through Service Learning and Community Engagement. Dr. Julie Dierberger and Dan Krueger facilitated a roundtable focused on addressing systemic inequities and wicked societal problems, while Dr. Kristina Stamatis cofacilitated another roundtable examining anti-racist community and civic engagement teaching, research, and service. Dr. Terri Crawford and Schmeeka Simpson led a dialogue session that looked at ways to center community partner voice in decision-making, while Dr. Dierberger led a workshop focused on building collective strategies and impact.

For more information on Campus Compact, please utilize the event’s webpage.


Communications

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