Eastern Region Campus Compact Conference Wrap-Up
After almost a year of planning, the Eastern Region Campus Compact (ERCC) welcomed over 225 participants to the Sunshine State for their annual conference held October 15-17. Hosted by Florida Campus Compact and chaired by FLCC’s Director of Member Services, Michael Norris, at the Omni Hotel in Jacksonville, the conference was an opportunity for professional development, networking, and planning to improve the already great work that is happening on member campuses.
The conference theme, “Moving Us Forward – Fifty Years On: From Civil Rights to Critical Engagement” was designed around these goals:
- Galvanizing community – campus partnerships for collective impact.
- Promoting twenty-first century knowledge making for healthy communities.
- Building diverse democracies on and off campus.
The time spent together at the conference strengthened the connections between civic engagement and academic achievement. The presenters offered new ways to enhance student learning through the integration of community service while encouraging civic engagement, social responsibility, and development of workforce and community leadership skills.
Participants attended in-demand workshops presented by experts from across the country, such as Strategies to Deepen Campus and Community Engagement, presented by Dr. Barbara Holland of The Engagement Academy and Building Campus-Community Partnership through Honor and Commemoration, presented by Renee Miller-Zientek of Michigan State University.
Conference attendees were also inspired by keynote speaker Stephen Black, founder and director of the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility at The University of Alabama as well as the founder of Impact Alabama: A Student Service Initiative. Dr. Marvin Dunn, author and Resident Scholar of the Institute of Homeless Studies at Camillus House, wrapped up the gathering with a poignant closing address.
- The 2014 Eastern Region Campus Compact Conference was held October 15-17 at the Omni Hotel in Jacksonville
- Stephen Black, Founder and Director of the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility at The University of Alabama, delivers the keynote address.
- Dr. Barbara Andrew, Dr. Christine Kelly, and Dr. Kathleen Korgen, of William Patterson University, New Jersey presented at the ERCC conference
The ERCC is grateful to the University of North Florida and specifically President John Delaney and Dr. Mark Falbo, Director of the Center for Community Based Learning, for their assistance with local arrangements.
Planning for next year’s ERCC Conference has already begun! The Fifth Annual ERCC Conference will be held October 14-16, 2015, in Newark, New Jersey. Mark your calendar to attend and watch for more information coming to http://www.ercc.floridacompact.org/!
