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…

July Membership Spotlight

Illinois Campus Compact (ILCC) is excited to welcome and spotlight our new member institution, Wilbur Wright College. In an interview with Gabe Estill and Merry Mayer, we found out all the amazing things Wright College is already doing in terms of civic engagement and learned some of their future plans. One of the first benefits of ILCC that Wright College will be taking advantage of is our AmeriCorps VISTA Program. Wright is currently accepting applications for a VISTA to start a yearlong year of service on August 20th. This VISTA will have a wide range of responsibilities, including assisting service-learning…

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…

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…

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…

VISTA Host Site Application Form Available

This year’s application will be due January 31st. The application is now an online form.  The questions are the same as last year but hopefully this is an easier format to submit.  The form does not save your answers until you submit it so you may want to compose your answers in a word document and then copy them into the form. We also completely overhauled our Memorandum of Understanding to better lay out the responsibilities of both ILCC and the host campus.  Please contact Natalie if there are any questions at all about the new wording.  This is the only…

2017 Midwest Campus Compact Conference: Call for Proposals

Doing Democracy: Asset-Based Engagement and Culture Change Deadline: February 17, 2017 Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin Campus Compact invite proposals for the 2017 Midwest Campus Compact Conference, which will take place June 6-7, 2017, at Loyola University Chicago. Whether you are new to civic and community engagement, curious about learning the basics of campus-community partnerships, or a seasoned professional seeking innovative approaches and discussion of important issues, this conference will provide opportunities to learn, explore, connect, and prepare for bold, thoughtful action. Each session proposal should relate to the conference theme: Doing Democracy: Asset-Based Engagement and Culture…

Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards

Serve Illinois is now accepting nominations for the 8th Annual Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards Nominate Your Volunteers! We all know someone that is volunteering their time to make our community better. Nominate them for the Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards! We are looking for youth, adult, senior, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and business nominations. Each region of the state will have one winner from each category for a total of 30 awards. Nominations are due February 17th, 2017, and you can submit your nominations online or on paper. Now in its 8th year, the Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards highlights the service and impact…

2017 Newman Civic Fellowship Nomination

Campus Compact’s 2017 nomination cycle for the Newman Civic Fellowship is now open. Member campuses are encouraged to nominate community-committed students. An overview of key dates and eligibility requirements along with a link to the nomination form can be found here. The Newman Civic Fellowship is intended to honor the leadership legacy of Frank Newman by recognizing community-committed students who: Engage in collaborative action with others from campus or from surrounding communities in order to create long-term social change Take action in addressing issues of inequality and political polarization Demonstrate the motivation and potential for effective long-term civic engagement 2017 Newman Civic…