ACADEMIC CIVIC ENGAGEMENT (ACE)

Academic civic engagement (ACE) is an approach to teaching and learning that encourages students to learn in community contexts. Students consider community-based experiences in relation to classroom learning and apply academic knowledge and skills to strengthen communities as an integrated component of an academic course. Often referred to as community-based research, service-learning, community-based learning and public scholarship, academic civic engagement facilitates the development of skills, habits of mind and relationships that prepare students for future internship, research, civic leadership and work roles.

This program is a collaboration between the CEL’s experiential learning professionals and faculty, helping classroom instructors identify ways that students can connect civic and community engagement to classroom learning.  Specifically, the CEL supports faculty through faculty workshops, consultation on course and project design, community partnership development, classroom presentations or field-trips, coordination of logistics, and direct support for students, etc.

Over the past three years, with support from the CEL and three grants, 27 faculty have participated in the Civic Engagement Faculty Institute and academic civic engagement has been integrated into over 60 courses involving over 1100 students. 

Academic Civic Engagement Course and Project Descriptions
    * 2011-2012 - Academic Year   (26 courses)
    * 2010-2011 - Academic Year   (28 courses)
    * 2009-2010 - Academic Year   (22 courses)
    * 2008-2009 - Academic Year   (15 courses)

Academic Civic Engagement Student Outcomes   

Presidents' Awards for Civic Engagement


Recent News

A Student's Guide to Civic Engagement: What is Civic Engagement and Why Should You Care?
Laura Romeyn ’12 & Ben Golden ’12 spent the summer working with Professor Eric Fure-Slocum tacking the question: How can academic civic engagement contribute to students’ introduction to a liberal arts college?  

After the Welcome Center: Renewing Conversations about Immigration & Diversity in Faribault
 Maria Ward ’12 & Taryn Arbeiter ’12 authored a comprehensive report on immigration and diversity in Faribault as part of a CURI research project that was supervised by Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak. This project was an extension of community-based research conducted by students in Immigration and Citizenship (PSCI 350) in the spring of 2011.

Food and Nutrition Service-learning Collaborative Grant Project
St. Olaf, Carleton and three community partners received a $25,000 grant to involve over 120 students from St. Olaf and Carleton in service-learning activities that will increase healthy eating among K-12 students and other community members during 2011.  Students in biology, environmental studies, psychology and other courses will develop and facilitate nutrition curriculum, plan school gardens, create educational materials and other community-based activities as part of their coursework. It is likely that the grant will be renewed for up to two additional years.

Civic Restlessness: Exploring Community and Citizenship at St. Olaf College
Photo Essay on ACE in four-course sequence of American Conversations
Produced by Julia Quanrud

Bringing Theory to Practice Grant Project
St. Olaf recently received a Bringing Theory to Practice grant from the Association of American Colleges and Universities to assess and strengthen academic civic engagement at St. Olaf. The grant supports a learning community that consists of eight faculty and the civic engagement coordinator (CEL) in developing and enhancing academic civic engagement (ACE) courses, assessing the impact of ACE courses on student learning (especially civic and vocational development) and exploring opportunities for St. Olaf to strengthen and expand academic civic engagement.