Some things you do during quarantine to lift your spirits

Hello, We hope as you are reading this in the comfort of your own home that you are safe and staying positive and safe in these tough times. As a country, and as a planet, we will get through this. At this point, social media is one of the only ways to stay connected, and in this ever-shifting paradigm, social media platforms can be a daunting place. At Campus Compact Illinois, we encourage you to stay safe, stay home, and stay positive. That being said, here are a few things that you could do to pass the time as you…

COVID-19 and the Engaged Campus

UPDATED APRIL 24, 2020 As an opportunity to connect, we would like to invite you to weekly Zoom calls with Campus Compact Illinois starting this Friday April 3.  This call is an open opportunity to support/share strategies and resources during this time of social distancing. The goal is to support each other, see how things are going, what’s needed, and what campuses are doing to maintain civic and community engagement in Illinois. Members and non-members welcome. As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, more and more higher education institutions are taking steps to protect their students, employees, and communities. These…

February VISTA Spotlight

I had the pleasure of interviewing ex-VISTA LaNae Edwards. LaNae used to be a VISTA at Illinois Joining Forces, an organization that provides many types of care, support, and resources to veterans and their families when they need it. I had the opportunity to catch up with her and get to know what she is up to nowadays, professionally.  As a VISTA, LaNae worked as the organization’s community outreach liaison. While in that role, she worked with the senior director of development and she set up meetings for potential partnerships, helped with social media engagement, assisted with community outreach initiatives…

Tyson Foods Summer Internship Sites

Campus Compact and Tyson Foods announced the nonprofit organizations that were selected for the 2019 Summer Community Internship Program. Grantees will receive funding to support a full-time college student summer intern. This is the second year of this program, which provides a valuable opportunity for college students to gain professional experience in nonprofits while making a positive impact in local communities.  Illinois Campus Compact selected 20 organizations throughout the Chicagoland Area to receive one intern for the summer.  Below is a list of the organizations and a description of the intern position.  Illinois Tyson Grantees Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry: The…

Veteran’s Day Events

Looking to honor our Veterans? Below is a list of events that you can attend to do so! National Louis University is holding multiple events throughout the week. You can learn more about these events at their site here. The Mission Continues is hold a Veteran’s Day Project, register here. McHenry County College is hosting a Veteran’s Day Ceremony. Learn more about that here.

CONNECT FROM YOUR DESK THIS FALL

Too busy for conferences, meetings, and networking? We have your answer with our Fall 2018 virtual learning line-up. The 2018-2019 webinar series takes the great and varied work happening on the ground around the country and brings it straight to your desk. Topics touch on issues of relevance to faculty, staff, students, and their partners in education and community building. Be sure to tune in to each session for information, tools, and resources to support and inspire you. See the rest of the series. Also, this fall is a series of more informal learning and networking opportunities with colleagues in the Midwest.  Peer…

2018-2019 Webinar Series

Campus Compact’s 2018-2019 webinar series takes the great and varied work happening on the ground around the country and brings it straight to your desk. Topics touch on issues of relevance to faculty, staff, students, and their partners in education and community building. Be sure to tune in to each session for information, tools, and resources to support and inspire you. The 2018-2019 webinar series is being offered free of charge, but all attendees must register. Register To learn more details about the webinar series and register please visit Campus Compact’s page here.

Voter Engagement Networking Event

Illinois Campus Compact invites you to a Voter Engagement Networking Event hosted by University of Illinois Chicago!  This event is for all higher education faculty and staff to gather and share their work around voter education on campuses throughout Illinois. We will be providing lunch from 12:00pm – 1:00pm during a panel discussion about available resources featuring CEEP, State Matters, and Ballot Ready. From 1:00pm – 2:00pm there will be networking for participants to connect with staff and faculty from other institutions doing similar work. Registration is free and lunch will be provided. See you there! Register at our Eventbrite page here!

Campus Election Engagement Project Graduate Assistant

Position Description –  Campus Election Engagement Project Assistant (June –December 2018) This limited term position, 10-15 hours per week during academic year and up to 20 hours per week June – August, will work to engage Illinois Campus Compact member institution students, faculty and staff in the 2018 elections.  This non-partisan project will help provide CEEP resources for institutional commitments to election engagement, support faculty and staff programming, and assist college students in registering to vote, getting educated on issues, volunteering in the campaigns, and showing up at the polls. This person will also help recruit and manage student fellows…

Introducing Five New Members of the Board of Directors

Illinois Campus Compact is pleased to announce the appointment of five new members to our board: Michael Amiridis, David Baker, Troy Hammond, Howard Rosing, and Camille Williamson. Each will be a vital asset as the board continues to guide ILCC’s programming. Our shared vision of a higher education system that prepares students to be mindful civic actors will be bolstered by their experience and insights. We also want to thank Jack Thomas, Jay Braatz, Ray Crossman and Tom Ramage as they transition off of our board. Their contributions to ILCC and its member institutions have made lasting impact.Michael Amiridis is the chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has…

Illinois Campus Compact Executive Director Joins the Serve Illinois Commission

We are proud to announce that ILCC’s executive director, Natalie Furlett has been chosen to serve as a commissioner for the Serve Illinois Commission. The nearly 40-year-old 40-member commission is charged with supporting community service throughout Illinois. Natalie brings a strong background in volunteerism, national service and student engagement to the commission. As a member of the board that administers the AmeriCorps program throughout Illinois, Natalie will be able to employ her skills as a civic education advocate to guide the Illinois AmeriCorps program forward. Natalie looks forward to fostering greater collaboration between The Serve Illinois commission and the communities surrounding…

2018-2019 ILCC VISTA Site Application

VISTA Site Applications for the next Academic year are now available! Whether you are continuing a VISTA program on your campus or going in with a new vision, it is important to get your application in by the deadline so that we can ensure the smoothest recruitment process. We are excited to once again work with our member campuses to craft important VISTA roles to advance civic education in Illinois! You an access the application documentation below. Complete the application and send it to MLoCasto {at} Depaul(.)edu or BTerry1 {at} depaul(.)edu by Friday, January 19th, 2018. 

Meet Marina LoCasto – Our New Assistant Director!

We’ve got exciting things coming down the pipes at Illinois Campus Compact, starting with our new Assistant Director, Marina LoCasto! She’ll soon become a familiar face for all of our member campuses as she takes hold of our VISTA program. Before you see her on your campus, learn more about her background and what drives her towards civic leadership. 1. Can you tell us a little bit about your background? I am originally from Chicago and grew up in the Oak Park area. My family moved to Italy when I was in middle school so I had a rather unusual upbringing,…

Monthly Civic Engagement Resource Roundup

Campus Compact’s monthly civic engagement resource roundup is curated by Minnesota Campus Compact. Learn more about MNCC’s work here. Articles, Books and Journals “Colleges Should Put Their Money Where Their Ideals Are” by Sandra Goldmark “It’s Actually Not About the Student: Rethinking the Power of Educational Technologies for Engaged Teaching and Learning” by Dan Butin “Placemaking and the University – Opening the University to the Community” by John Tibbit “So You Want to Reform Democracy” by Joshua Tauberer “What Iowa Needs Now: Civic-Minded Professionals” by Emily Shields of Iowa Campus Compact “Universities and Their Cities” by Scott Jaschick interviewing Steven…

Civic Technology – A Community Asset to Build Upon

  You can read/download the research done by MySociety referenced in this blog post here. On Tuesday, The Chicago Community Trust held its annual On the Table event, which shines a spotlight on issues of community interest and provides a platform for collaborative analysis. The conversation was led by community organizations around Chicago including the YMCA, the Chicago Public Library and many others. Over the course of the day, thousands of civic-minded problem solvers met to discuss unique problems our society faces, and how to address them through civic action. Civic Technology as a Community Asset We attended Microsoft’s On the…

Meet Illinois’ 2017 Newman Civic Fellows!

Five students from across Illinois were nominated by their College and University Presidents for the 2017 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows Award for their outstanding work in civic engagement leadership. These students are among 273 nominees from Campus Compacts across the nation. Illinois’ Future Leaders This year, Illinois is represented by five incredible student-leaders. These students were nominated by their University President because their contributions to campus and community life stood out. To learn more about these outstanding students and to read excerpts of their nomination letters, click their names below: Bianca Mena of Dominican University Lindsey Earl of Illinois…

ILCC is hiring a full-time Assistant Director!

Illinois Campus Compact (ILCC) is looking for a full time Assistant Director.  This position will work closely with our AmeriCorps VISTA program, ILCC member programming, and provide administrative support for the organization. The Assistant Director provides leadership in the development and implementation of programs, events, and member services as well as monitors progress toward the organization’s mission and strategic objectives. Other essential responsibilities include writing communications, evaluative reporting, providing technical assistance to member campuses, supervising additional staff and interns, and developing partnerships with other organizations. For more information and to apply click here and search for Job Code 2573. Feel free…

Illinois Campus Compact is now hiring team members for our 2017-2018 VISTA service year.

VISTA members with Illinois Campus Compact work to advance the public purpose of higher education by connecting campus and community in Illinois. They create opportunities for service based experiential learning and civic engagement, interrupt the cycle of poverty by supporting low income and first generation college students, and create college readiness in underserved communities by working with tutoring centers.

2017 Restorative Justice Funding Application

Illinois Campus Compact is pleased to be offering financial assistance to schools that would like to pursue further opportunities to explore Restorative Justice on their campus.  The goal is to help enable a school’s team to better discuss, address, and implement restorative justice practices on their campus. This money can be used to bring in outside trainers to your campus, send students, staff, or faculty to a restorative justice training, or to enhance existing programs on your campus. Institutions may apply for up to $2,000. To access the funding application and a list of recommended trainers, please click here. Please…

Provide Feedback on the CNCS President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Application

Feedback opportunity open between January 26th and February 17th We are soliciting feedback on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll application and process that will be aggregated into one recommendation to be submitted to CNCS on behalf of Campus Compact.  We invite anyone at any institution who has completed an application for the Honor Roll in the past to provide feedback through 1 or ALL of the following opportunities:  Feedback Option #1 –  Google Document>>: provide specific written feedback, where we have posted the actual questions from the Honor Roll application.This option is available from 1/26 – 2/17. Feedback…