Engaged Scholarship through the Colin Powell Center
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is engaged scholarship?
The term "scholarship of engagement" is a concept first used by Ernest Boyer, former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Simply stated, engaged scholarship is a collaboration between academics and individuals outside the academy—professionals, practitioners, and the lay public (local, regional/state, national, global)—for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.
Engaged scholarship can apply to teaching (e.g., service–learning), research (e.g., community-based participatory research), community-responsive clinical and population-based care (e.g., community oriented primary care, academic public health practice), and service (e.g., community service, outreach, advocacy). Engaged scholarship can be practiced in any academic field of discipline.
2. What are the benefits of engaged scholarship?
Universities and colleges across the nation are promoting engaged scholarship as way to improve student learning and retention, energize faculty, and strengthen relationships with the communities in which they are located.
3. How does the Powell Center support engaged scholarship at CCNY?
The Powell Center supports engaged scholarship at CCNY by providing financial support, training and technical assistance for service-learning course development; engaged department planning and development; community-based participatory research projects. The Powell Center also provides grants and writing support for faculty to make their research findings more accessible to wide range of public audiences.
What is service-learning?
Service-learning is a teaching approach which integrates meaningful community service opportunities into a particular academic course. Students become active participants in the learning process by using what they learn in the classroom to solve real-world problems in the community.
What is Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)?
CBPR is a collaborative approach to research—and ultimately policy formulation—that equitably involves all partners (community, academic, policymakers) in all aspects of the research process.
What are Public Scholars?
CCNY Public Scholars are faculty members and other academic researchers who reside at the nexus of theory and practice. They disseminate their research to benefit communities and to address immediate public problems and public-policy concerns; and they write and talk about their research in way that is accessible and easily understood by non-academic audiences.
What are “engaged departments”?
An “engaged department” is one in which faculty teams from individual academic departments, school or programs work together to create a shared vision and to implement long-range plans for infusing civic engagement and engaged scholarship activities into the department’s culture and curricula.
4. Who can participate in Powell Center engaged scholarship programs and initiatives?
Service-Learning: All full-time CCNY faculties are eligible to apply for a service-learning faculty fellowship through the Center. Faculty fellows receive up to $5,000 to develop and teach a service-learning course
Community-Based Participatory Research: Any CC full-time faculty and staff with a research agenda can apply to receive support for CPR and public scholarship projects and activities. Grantees receive technical assistance and up to $8,000 for research projects.
Engaged Departments: Teams of faculty from academic departments, schools or programs can apply to receive technical assistance and up to $10,000 in support to become an engaged department. (Adjunct faculty can also be included on engaged department faculty teams, with approval from departmental chair or program directors)
Public Scholarship: All full-time faculty, staff and adjunct faculty can apply to receive up to $3,000 to support the development of written products and attendance at policy, writing, and related workshops.
5. What is the process for applying for engaged scholarship-related grants and fellowships at the Powell Center?
Submission guidelines, instructions and deadlines for grants and fellowships can be found on the Center’S Webster at http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/ci/powell/index.cfm.
The Powell Center also disseminates a monthly engaged scholarship newsletter which provides updates on available grants and fellowships and information about up-coming conferences, workshops, symposia and publishing opportunities.
Please contact Nora Heap, deputy director nheaphy@ccny.cuny.edu, or Geneva Stewart, director of service-learning and civic engagement gstewart@ccny.cuny.ed for additional information and resources.
