Faculty Get Lessons in Service Learning

Since September 11, the nation has placed more emphasis on service learning activities and the faculty at CCBC are no exception. During a Service Learning Institute, coordinated by CCBC Catonsville Sociology professor Michael Sanow, faculty had the opportunity to visit a soup kitchen and share their experiences.

"One of the workers hit on me," said one faculty member.

"There was a feeling from some of the people who were getting the free food that we owed them," said another faculty member.

"I was amazed at how grateful and thankful they were because we came to help," said another faculty member.

Whatever the feeling, they all agreed that the experience was good and worthwhile and that other faculty members and students should participate in a similar experience. These were the type of discussions held throughout the Service Learning Institute that was held in June. Faculty and staff from all three campuses and all disciplines participated in the three-day institute.

Faculty who participated included Jonathan Collins, Betsey Collins, Maria Delongoria, Denise Fair, Marjan Ghahramanlou, Nelda McCray-Nix and Veronica Uhland of CCBC Catonsville; Patricia Dearing, Michael Johnson, Judith Kehe, Stacey Kurth-Ford, Ronald May, Daniel O'Brien, Cheryl Scott and Karen Shavin of CCBC Essex; and Russell Davis and Marc Ershler from CCBC Dundalk.

Faculty toured and visited various non-profit organizations, volunteered for a day at a soup kitchen, had discussions on their experiences and brainstormed about where the college should go from here in the area of Service Learning. The recommendations from the institute will be integrated into classes on all three campuses. In fact, a new two-credit course on Service Learning will be offered on all three campuses starting next spring.

CCBC already has in place the Center for Service Learning in which students are engaged in a variety of service learning activities. Once a year, CCBC hosts a Service Learning Fair where representatives from various non-profit agencies visit CCBC Catonsville to recruit students for community service learning opportunities.

For more information about Service Learning opportunities, contact Michael Sanow at 443-840-4328 (Catonsville), John Hutchinson at 443-840-1487 (Essex) or Bernadette Low at 443-840-3886 (Dundalk).