2010-11 pace center for civic engagement year in review

Contents

5 Community House

7 Student Volunteers Council

10 Community Action

9 Prison Teaching Initiative

13 Internships and Fellowships16 Pace Council for Civic Values

2 Keeping Pace

1 A Year in Review 2010-2011

Pace center for civic engagement

John c. Bogle ‘51 and Burton malkiel *64 director for community Service

rev. dr. aliSon l. Boden (interim)

dePartment office SuPPort

SuSan Braun

director, Student volunteerS council

david Brown

aSSiStant director

don dailey

BuSineSS manager

carey hoover

Senior Program coordinator

andrew nurkin

aSSociate director

elSie m. Sheidler

Senior Program coordinator, PicSlaura SPence-aSh

communicationS manager

StePhen Streicher

director, community houSe

marJorie a. young

201D Frist Campus CenterPrinceton, NJ [email protected]

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

11 Breakout Civic Action Trips

Spotlight onStudent LearningT

Opportunities Abound: New Civic Engagement Publication and Searchable-by-Interest Database

rinceton seeks to instill, in each of its graduates, skills and traits that

will serve both them and the world well. In her 2009 Commencement speech, President Shirley M. Tilghman summarized these characteristics of

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citizenship as: “critical thinking and writing, a finely tuned moral compass, a disciplined work ethic, a commitment to excellence in whatever you choose to do, compassion for those less privi-leged, and a devotion to service.” In the spring of 2011, the Pace Cen-ter led the development of a publica-tion and interactive database to both reflect the University community’s commitment to service and inspire its members to contribute to socie-ties throughout the world and fulfill its informal motto, “in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations.” Contained within the publication are glimpses of students and young alumni who have com-bined all of their faculties in service to create mean-

ingful opportunities and solutions to societal challenges large and small. In-terested students, alumni, staff, faculty and community members can create or become part of new solutions by visiting myPace, an online database for finding civic engagement opportunities that match interests and schedules.

his past year, the Pace Center for Civic Engagement increased its at-

tention to strengthen and explore new avenues for students’ development as public leaders and catalysts for positive change. This included implementing a new structure for organizing student project participants into small learning communities, developing standardized leadership training across Pace pro-grams, and exploring students’ ideas for more formal leadership develop-ment. During the second semester, im-PACT, a Student Volunteers Council (SVC) weekly project, met regularly as a small learning community. The learn-ing community provided a safe place for tutors to talk about challenges they were facing, share and learn from each other, and leverage expert assistance from Pace staff, the Princeton Uni-versity Program in Teacher Prep, and other resources. It also provided an opportunity for bonding and mutual support among tutors, and generated strong ideas for improving imPACT services. In the spring, Pace Center staff brought together student leaders from across campus to garner feedback on

a variety of ideas for formal learn-ing opportunities through Pace. One idea included formal workshops

Keeping Pace

Search for service and civic engagement opportunities at mypace.princeton.edu.

2010-2011 A Year in Review 2

Understanding Progress

he Pace Center continually seeks to measure progress towards its

mission. During the 2010-11 aca-demic year, the center worked towards developing more robust evaluation systems by designing a framework for evaluating student outcomes, develop-ing center-wide student survey ques-tions aligned with those outcomes, and restructuring existing program surveys. New attention was focused on the impact of programs on students relative to specific knowledge, skills and attributes associated with public leadership and active citizenship, two concepts central to Pace’s mission.

and student-led discussion groups on key topics, while another focused on developing a selective fellowship program comprised of leadership in a service project, structured opportuni-ties for reflection through ongoing sharing and discussions, guidance from mentors in the field and from faculty, and possibly a relevant internship. Goals for student learning and train-ing in the coming year include:• Assess the value and challenges fac-ing the small learning communities• Support small learning communities with internal and external expertise• Explore opportunities for develop-ing and implementing effective training modules

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Keeping Pace

Based on a review of national civic engagement measurement frameworks, a new system was developed and tailored to the Pace Center’s unique set of indicators for specific categories of outcomes. The following are a list of civic-related outcomes for students that the center ranked highly for the purposes of Pace programming:• Social knowledge and responsibility• Commitment to service • Applied knowledge/life skills• Leadership• Accountability for one’s actions• Initiative and resiliency• Communication skills• Group and interpersonal relations • Meaningful philosophy of life and society Pace is recommending changes to the senior survey and assessing its use as an effective measure of Pace Center activity. Objectives for Pace evaluation sys-tems in the coming year include:• Support development of central data system• Strengthen sources of “Pace-wide” evaluation • Develop Princeton student team to explore Community House’s impact on local students• Better integrate Pace evaluation into strategic planning


During the 2010-11 academic year, the Pace Center worked towards developing more robust evaluation systems by designing a framework for evaluating student outcomes, developing center-wide student

survey questions aligned with those outcomes,

and restructuring existing program surveys.

Community Organizing and Residential Colleges

he Residential College Commu-nity Organizing Project (RCCOP)

borrows principles and techniques from classic community organizing to strengthen connectedness and commu-nity among students on campus. The project contributes to the mission of the Pace Center by providing under-graduates involved in the Residential College Advisor (RCA) program op-portunities to learn about and practice community organizing as a method for increasing civic engagement, improv-ing student mental health, and reduc-ing high-risk substance abuse in the residential colleges. In the third year of the pilot project, the Pace Center again partnered with University Health Services (UHS) and Butler and Wilson Colleges to train RCAs in basic community organiz-ing techniques, such as the individual meeting, and principles of horizontal relationality, collective action, trust, inclusion, reciprocity, and values-based leadership. The purpose of this project is to sup-port strong and healthy communities in the residential colleges by building leadership capacity among the RCAs and increasing levels of social capital among advisees. Pace continued its existing partnerships with the two pilot colleges and asked RCAs in those col-leges to conduct hour-long individual meetings with each of their first-year

Keeping Pace

ducation outreach is a major fo-cus of many Community House

and SVC projects. In 2010-11, staff identified tutoring and mentoring as key components of those education-related projects and, along with student leaders and interns, reviewed these practices to determine best methods and structures to improve and enhance project impact. According to the research, for Prin-ceton student tutors to be most effec-tive, tutoring practices should be:• Targeted to helping students learn basic skills and knowledge related to math and literacy• Focused on helping students learn how to study, prepare for tests, and respond to assignments• Highly structured, with ongoing help with homework Princeton student mentors can be most effective by helping students learn how to:• Effectively solve personal problems• Respond to stressful situations, criti-cism or bullying• Exercise sound judgment• Develop the character needed to excel through civil behavior, discipline, persistence, confidence, and sensitivity to others Pace Center staff and student leaders are using these discoveries to promote learning among tutors and mentors and to develop plans for incorporating them into their projects and training. The future plans for outreach and expansion in education include:• designing creative workshops to sup-port review and implementation of resources through education-related

projects at the Pace Center.• strengthening education-related re-sources with additional research.

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Education Outreach:A Major Focus

advisees by the beginning of October. These meetings, combined with fund-ing for community-building events for advisee groups, contributed to report-ed increases in feelings of mutual re-sponsibility, connectedness and helping behaviors. A mixed-methods approach to evaluation, carried over from the two previous years, used focus groups, individual surveys, and quantitative data collected from the Butler and Wil-son Directors of Student Life. Results confirmed a positive trend in mental health and behavior outcomes for residents in the two colleges. Project team members from Pace, UHS, Butler, and Wilson presented on their work to the entire UHS staff and key stakeholders from the colleges, ODUS, and the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life. Based on positive responses to these presenta-tions, approval was given to scale the project up to all six residential colleges for fall 2011. For the 2011-12 year, the RCCOP team will:• Implement and institutionalize the community organizing program with all RCAs in all six colleges• Redesign the fall training for an ex-panded audience • Continue to support RCAs in explor-ing the organizing aspects of their role through core group meetings and project funding

“Now I think of myself as someone who fosters community on the hall, rather than someone who just plans study

breaks.”- Residential College

Advisor, Butler College


Community House

Closing the Achievement Gap: Improved Dialogue, Student Training


ontributing to the Pace Center Mission During the 2010-11 academic year, the Pace Center placed an emphasis on developing resources and capacity around education. At Community House (CH), summer interns were hired to research exemplary national

models and develop resources to strengthen CH’s capacity to help middle and high school students. The interns’ work resulted in CH adopting best practices, tools and other national research and data information to make its teaching and tutoring programs stronger and more sustainable. The work being done with CH is in direct alignment with the Pace Center’s overall mission to connect individuals and groups with opportunities to respond thoughtfully to civic problems and have an impact through activities including direct volunteer ser-vice, and volunteer teaching and tutoring.

CH: By the Numbers3 community volunteers

3 Princeton Thelogical Seminary students as interns

10 Project Coordinators

10 Community House Executive Board members

22 Program Assistants100 PU students as volunteers in 6 academic year proj-ects and 3 summer projects

ommunity House, a program dedicated to closing the minority achievement gap, had two principle goals for

the 2010-11 academic year: to foster dialogue with teachers and other Princeton Regional Schools (PRS) staff in order to support PRS students enrolled in CH programs, and to pro-vide on-going training for University student volunteers to broaden their understanding of the overall CH mission and their respective projects. With respect to the first goal, CH volunteers attended and distributed materials during Back-to-School Night at the local high school and middle school. The brochures and hand-outs consisted of descriptions of CH programs and staff contact information, while face-to-face conversations between Princeton student volunteers and district teachers and administrators allowed connections to be made and trust established early in the new school year. As a result of these outreach efforts, CH had more

willing and frequent interaction with teachers and staff, a key component in developing programs and practices tailored to meet the needs of the individual student and related to the larger curriculum. The second goal of training to broaden volunteers’ under-standing of the CH mission started in the fall of 2010 with a training session facilitated by the PRS assistant superin-tendent and focused on how the minority achievement gap impacts the school district. A district psychologist provided training where Princeton students had the opportunity to ask general questions about the curriculum and special education in the school system. Volunteers were invited to ask specific questions about the individual students they interacted with daily in CH programs. The list of questions generated by the volunteers at the trainings are being utilized as the basis for small learning communities where volunteers are provided with information and resources that will enable them to be more effective in dealing with specific issues that they are encountering during the course of their work at CH.

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“We are working hard to tailor activities to meet each student’s individual needs.”- Carol Tate, CHASA Math Consultant

CHASA Lesson Plans

major CH initiative included the hiring of a math consultant. This proved to be a very valuable and

worthwhile solution for the Community House After School Academy (CHASA). The math consultant researched and helped CH identify the appropriate math web-based curricu-lum to implement into the CHASA program. The consul-tant has provided training for the volunteers on this soft-ware and has been the main liaison with the math supervisor and teachers at the middle school. Having someone respon-sible for developing and managing this important academic area in CHASA has strengthened the program in many ways. In the area of evaluation and assessment, there are now as-sessment tools to measure the impact of CH programs on PRS. Additionally, the consultant has been instrumental in providing training tools and resources for the PU volunteers so that they can better address difficulties or challenges they face when working with students in the area of mathemat-ics. Another process added to both CHASA and Genera-


Building a Team, Ongoing Communication

tion One, a project dedicated to supporting high school stu-dents who will be first in their families to attend college, was the implementation of small learning communities or mini reflection sessions at the end of every tutoring session. The project assistants and coordinators are required to run 15-20 minute sessions where volunteers debrief about general or specific issues they are encountering. These sessions are designed to foster daily dialogue so that there is continuous communication among CH staff and volunteers. In addi-tion, these sessions increase awareness and deepen volunteer involvement in both the daily tutoring and mentoring, as well as in problem-solving and have improved the program. Community House plans to continue its research in tutor-ing practices, program efficacy and trends in education. In the coming year, CH plans to:• Ensure all CH programs are effective, useful and relevant towards the goal of closing the minority achievement gap• Establish strategic partnerships with University and com-munity organizations that will enable CH to leverage avail-able resources in areas of unmet need• Implement small learning communities as a component of every CH project • Foster and maintain dialogue with parents, teachers, and PRS staff

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Community House

Student Volunteers Council

n ongoing goal of the SVC is to recruit and deploy dedicated volunteers and to have them gain a contextu-

al understanding of the issues they will encounter within the community. Each student volunteer brings pertinent skills to applying best practices in how the SVC engages those issues. In 2010-11, the SVC focused on:• Building more cohesion across the organization • Ensuring volunteers have ongoing training• Building reflection opportunities into all projects• Being guided by best practices and data• Assessing outcomes of programmatic efforts on both the community and student volunteers• Being as responsive to - and driven by - the com-munity’s stated needs as by students’ interests and passions The first four goals were initiated by focus-ing on one area – education projects – rather than trying to change all 30+ weekly projects. In particular, SVC focused on its imPACT tutoring project. The imPACT project coor-dinators (PCs) formed a learning community wherein their volunteers meet weekly over dinner to share triumphs and struggles, as well as identify issues and training needs. The Foundation Tutoring project, which partners with Trenton’s Foundation Academy, provided the SVC with an-other opportunity to test its ability to balance community need and student experience. The school needed to cut a day from its after school services, so SVC PCs found themselves with a free group of tutors and began exploring where they would be most effective. After reaching out to other SVC weekly projects, Foundation Tutoring students found a newly opened community center in Trenton looking for volunteers to assist with homework help, a perfect place for


ontributing to the Pace Center Mission The Student Volunteers Council (SVC) is a student-run and led program, which provides significant opportunities for leadership development, a key aspect of the Pace Center’s mission. In 2010-11, SVC renewed its focus on

researching best practices to strengthen how it tackled another vital part of the Pace mission - addressing issues of public concern within the local community. SVC has increased its efforts to be more community-directed by listening to community needs and helping to identify gaps in services.

A Focus on Tutoring: Education Projects

“The knowledge that I had an impact on the life of a student is an immensely rewarding feeling,

one that has inspired me to remain involved with Foundation Tutoring weekly project for the past

two years.”- Sam Norton ‘12

SVC: By the Numbers511

75

34

10

10 Executive Board members34 Projects75 Project Coordinators511 Active volunteers

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experienced tutors. Best practices dictate that data-driven and curriculum-based tutoring is more effective than drop-in homework help (and the SVC had been transitioning projects to more of the former). However, this was an ex-ample of responding to community need, so it was decided to move the volunteers to this reopened center and provide the critical support needed.

ith all the new mission-driven processes and efforts implemented over the course of the year, success and

benefit have not always been immediate. The learning community model was new and has been effective overall, but did result in a significant culture change within the SVC. In the past, volunteers and PCs were required to complete their desired hours of service

and participate in an orientation. In 2010-11, volunteers were involved in weekly meetings in addition to their previ-ous commitments. Despite some initial concerns, PCs and volunteers reported powerful and reflective conversations about the causes of and efforts around their projects and the solutions those projects hope to provide.

Benefits of Encouraging ConversationW


Connections with Princeton and the Surrounding Community

The goal of being community-directed doesn’t just mean reading reports and statistics, but also building a rela-

tionship with partner organizations, civic leaders, and community members. The SVC has continued to look at how its operations, such as the process for new project approval, account for these relationships and to what extent the new projects actively listen and respond to the partners’ needs. The SVC was an integral part of a center-wide working group to implement a community survey examining the region’s strengths, issues and gaps and how the center’s vol-unteers might best join these efforts.

Student Volunteers Council

Prison Teachingontributing to the Pace Mission As one of the core ways for faculty, graduate students, and staff to work with the Pace Center, the Prison Teaching Initiative (PTI) contributed to the center’s mission by offering volunteer opportunities to important constituencies

within the Princeton community. Instructors gained first-hand experience working in the state’s corrections system and created high-quality educational opportunities for an underserved population. PTI met an identified need and made tangible contributions to solving the problem of mass incarceration in New Jersey. Access to postsecondary education while incarcerated can significantly reduce an individual’s chances of returning to prison post-release, and the courses offered by PTI and its partner programs at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and Mercer County Community College (MCCC) are the only college options available to men incarcerated at two NJ correctional facilities, Garden State Youth Correctional Facility and Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility. PTI instructors provided inmates with the edu-cation and skills necessary to lead productive, intellectually engaged lives while in prison and when they return to their home communities.

Word-of-mouth Leads to Public Recognition

New Collaborations, Greater Course Offerings

he 2010-11 academic year marked PTI’s first year of offering introductory courses in English composition

and foundational math at Albert C. Wagner Youth Correc-tional Facility. Expansion to this new facility was aided by a new partnership with TCNJ, which also offers academic opportunities at Wagner. Additionally, the program’s pres-ence at Garden State grew to include an intermediate course in literary analysis, a creative writing workshop, and an introductory course in philosophy, meaning more teaching positions for Princeton volunteers from the Lewis Center for the Arts and the Philosophy, English, and Comparative Literature departments as well as more opportunities for incarcerated students to earn elective credits in the humani-ties and social sciences. The Class of 1981 selected PTI as one of their class service events, generously donating much-needed academic and literary texts. In the next year, PTI is poised to expand, which means more opportunities for University volunteers and incarcer-ated students in New Jersey. Goals include:• Expanding course offerings at both Wagner and Garden State, including courses in sociology and biology• Continuing to attract superb teachers from around the University as volunteer instructors• Cultivating a relationship with the Mountainview Project at Rutgers University, which supports pathways for students who enroll at Rutgers post-release• Strengthening volunteer training with a handbook and on-site orientation sessions• Bolstering online presence with more coherent messaging

PTI: By the Numbers

classes

credit hoursvolunteers

15 classes52 volunteer instructors379 credit hours

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I Tn 2010-11, PTI reaffirmed its partnership with MCCC, which accredits the college courses taught in prisons by

Princeton volunteers. PTI’s strong relationships with MCCC and the New Jersey Department of Corrections, formalized through a memorandum of understanding, allowed PTI to continue to send qualified instructors, including Princeton faculty, graduate students, and staff, into the prisons to teach a growing number of courses. Current instructors continued to be the best ambassadors for the program, and word-of-mouth recruitment efforts yielded an increase in volunteers necessary to staff expanded course offerings. PTI’s partici-pation in a national network of prison education programs led to greater public recognition of Princeton’s prison initiative and invited representation at two conferences: Pace Center staff spoke about strategies for effective inter-institutional collaboration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Princeton University Astrophysics Professor Gillian Knapp presented on PTI’s work at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.



Community Action

ne of the most important aspects of CA is the op-portunity Princeton University students have to learn

about the cities, towns and resources that surround cam-pus. In 2010-11, CA leader training started with 50 leaders divided into four groups, getting a different tour of Trenton with well-known local activists. Each tour examined the city through a different lens: the city’s industry and development revealed through architecture, the people and ethnicities of the city conveyed through food, city government and politics seen through historic sites, and Trenton’s flare of character and characters shared through a book tour. The people, places and stories of Trenton - and how a CA participant experiences them - weave a more complete view of how a community deals with daunting challenges in ways often missed in academic text and statistics and presents a more holistic view of the community beyond just a strug-gling place of need.

ontributing to the Pace Center Mission As the freshmen pre-orientation program focused on service, Community Action (CA) continues to build an asset-based approach to civic engagement. Joining with Mercer County community partner organizations

working to face specific challenges around issues such as homelessness and hunger, CA provides an opportunity for students to discover the often overlooked assets of these communities and how they are utilized.

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Looking at Princeton and Trenton through Different LensesO

Shining Example of the Asset-Based Approach

he various CA groups often spend a portion of the week joining in asset-based efforts outside of the typi-

cal governmental or non-profit realm. One example is the annual back-to-school event that a local barbershop started several years ago. The owners have three shops where they provide free haircuts to schoolchildren on Labor Day to help them get ready and excited for the first day of school. CA volunteers have joined the barbers and helped grow the event over the years to include donating backpack and school supplies and organizing cook-outs, and activities for the children waiting for their turn in the barbers’ chair. The event, which is organized solely by community members and without the assistance of any governmental or non-profit organizations, is simply a community event, a prime example of capitalizing on the assets and resources of the community. This event is consistently cited as the most popular day of the week in CA participant evaluations.

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Breakout: By the Numbers12 trips

13 coordinators

24 leaders

105 participants

Breakout Princeton


Building Capacity, Making Connections

ontributing to the Pace Center Mission Breakout Princeton offered 142 opportunities for Princeton undergraduates to learn about and take action to address public issues through community immersion, direct service, group discussions, and reflective activities.

Breakout responded to and supported student initiative through open calls for trip proposals focused on public issues. Students learned from nonprofit professionals, activists, community leaders, researchers, and philanthropists about effective public leadership and active citi-zenship in a variety of topics and places. In the process, students made tangible contributions to support local efforts to strengthen com-munities in New Orleans, North Carolina, Boston, DC, South Dakota, San Francisco, Houston, Detroit, New York City, and the Navajo reservation. The program developed students as public leaders and active citizens through an intensive trip planning process, peer-to-peer and staff advising, on-the-ground immersion, and post-trip reflection.

country. Princetonians from San Francisco to Boston do-nated their time to talk with students about topics such as high-impact philanthropy, education reform, HIV/AIDS research, and restorative justice.

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B reakout’s existing infrastructure for leader and partici-pant applications drew a surplus of excellent trip

proposals, revealing widespread student interest in the program. Due to its popularity, the program met its goal of offering 12 distinctive community immersion opportunities to a diverse cohort of Princeton students. The mentoring model at the heart of Breakout allowed for the training of a new crop of leaders, who successfully proposed, planned, and led trips across the country. Many of these leaders applied to become coordinators after their trips were over, ensuring a continued pipeline of experience and institutional knowledge for the program going forward. Breakout’s emphasis on pre-trip learning and post-trip engagement resulted in several follow-up projects through which participants continued to be involved in their trip top-ics, including connections with existing student groups and SVC weekly projects. Breakout continued to connect with alumni across the

Year-Round Commitment to Public Service

I n 2010-11 Breakout increased the number of student coordinators in order to provide better support to trip

leaders and undertake significant strategic projects for the program. With twice as many coordinators, Breakout was able to expand social offerings throughout the year, such as the first all-Breakout spring barbecue, and to begin develop-ing a directory of previous community partner sites. Breakout focused on exploring and improving on all op-portunities for students and the communities in which the trips immerse themselves. 2011-2012 goals include:• Offering 12 distinctive trips that engage diverse issues of public concern and immerse students in communities where individuals and groups are drawing on their shared assets to address those issues


Inter-Action

Breakout Princeton

T he Inter-Action program was first introduced with a 2009 referendum by the Undergraduate Student

Government (USG) to support student-initiated service projects coordinated by the Pace Center. The first edition of Inter-Action held during intersession break in 2010 saw approximately 130 University students volunteer with local community partners and develop skills that will help them become effective leaders for social change. The 2011 version of Inter-Action, now operating solely on Pace Center sponsorship, was again held over intersession break, but took a more focused approach to civic engage-ment and leadership development. A small group of 12 students who all shared a passion and interest for local is-sues in education came together to visit schools, community centers, and interact with Princeton faculty members and staff working to close the minority achievement gap. During the week-long program, the students took a broad approach to learning about challenges facing educators and youth in the area, from personal reflection on their own backgrounds in education to discussing the high-level trends in education with researchers from the Center for African American Studies to taking a tour of Princeton which de-tailed the ethnic history of the city.

• Encouraging students to explore new topics and new paths to service by participating in Breakout• Delivering excellent leader training sessions that ground the Breakout experience in an ethical frame-work of engagement, provide technical skills for leadership, and push individual students to grow in commitment to public service• Supporting expanded post-trip engagement with host communities and topics to further student learning and impact


ontributing to the Pace Center Mission Summer public service internships offer substantive, high-quality, educational and profes-sional experiential opportunities for undergraduates to make a contribution to solving public problems by applying what they’ve

learned in the classroom and developing new skills and areas of knowledge with the support of partner nonprofit organizations.

Capitalizing on Success: PICS, Guggenheim

I n 2010-11, the Pace Center and its internship program partners outlined several goals that included developing

more high-quality, diverse opportunities, expanding areas of interest, inviting more undergraduate interest and participa-tion, and streamlining technical and administrative processes. The second year of the partnership with the Class of 1969 Community Service Fund to provide the student interface for the Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS) pro-gram saw existing alumni-affiliated Pace internships integrat-ed into the PICS program while maintaining its strong brand integrity and recognition on campus. Applicants to the PICS program grew by 18% over the prior year. Enhancements to technical processes and operations to better serve the undergraduate ap-plicants, the alumni sponsors, and the sponsor organiza-tions were com-pleted and well-received by these constituents. The Daniel and Florence Gug-genheim Foundation, Oscar S. Straus II Fellows in Criminal Justice summer internship program was recognized as a fully managed and owned Princeton program when the founda-tion closed its doors in 2011, and left a generous gift to Princeton to sustain and expand the internship program. The Guggenheim internship program continued to sup-port summer interns with its robust seminar series, relevant readings, and visit to a correctional facility. The Pace Center also completed its second year administering the Center for African American (CAAS) Civic Internship program, plac-ing students with three nonprofits focused on addressing disparities in urban education and leadership development. Throughout the Pace Center, education was an area of fo-cus in 2010-11, and a successful local NJ education summer internship initiative gave students the opportunity to delve

A User-Friendly Student Interface

“I remember my friends asking whether I would want to enter the journalism field after graduation, and I told them to ask me after this summer when I’d have a better sense of the kind of work it entails. Now, I can absolute-

ly say I would love to continue this kind of work!”

- Shirley Gao ‘13, PICS Intern, The Center for Public Integrity

A s these different internship programs expanded the number of opportunities available to students, it was

recognized that there were complexities and challenges for students to navigate the many different internship opportu-nities and to make informed decisions about which internships provide the best fit for their interests and goals. A goal for 2010-11 was to simplify this process for students while maintaining

the integrity of the individual programs. First, a single online application was developed and imple-mented for students to apply to PICS, Guggenheim and CAAS internships, streamlining the application administra-tive process and making it easier for students to navigate the internship offerings and application process. Second, staff developed and implemented an integrated publicity campaign reflecting all summer internships, while still maintaining the integrity of the individual internship programs. Print materials, electronic communication, public information sessions, a one-time internship fair, and website were all carefully designed to leverage the popularity and identity of each program, while providing a streamlined process for students interested in public service summer internships.

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Internships

into issues that face local schools and nonprofit organiza-tions. For the past four years, at the request of the Princeton En-vironmental Institute (PEI), the Pace Center seeded, struc-tured, and administered the PEI/Grand Challenges sum-mer internship program. In an effort to increase program efficiency and focus on departmental core competencies and upon mutual agreement with PEI, this administrative responsibility was moved fully to PEI, including the transfer of a dedicated staff person.


Expanding Outreach and Participation

T he Pace Center has several goals for the next year to help enhance all aspects of its internship programs and

partnerships, including: • Continuing to explore, enhance, and systematize technical processes for applications and program reporting• Increasing the awareness of public service internships through an integrated, measurable publicity campaign• Reviewing and enhancing the evaluation process to better assess programmatic components and process• Expanding the number of Guggenheim internship posi-tions and sponsor organizations, as well as the summer educational program• Cultivating students’ entrepreneurial interests and deepen-ing the connection to other Pace programs, by providing students with funding to create summer internships• Expanding the areas of interest for summer internships• Expanding resources to support internships• Cultivating existing and developing new University rela-tionships to raise awareness and expand recruitment

Internships: By the Numbers

535Total

492PICS

99Guggenheim

28Total ed

13CAAS

Internship Applicants:535

2011 Interns by Area of Interest:Education 25Medical 17Social Services 14Criminal Justice 7Public Policy 7Legal 6 Arts, Journalism 5Environment 5Business Development 3

Internships


ontributing to the Pace Center Mission The postgraduate fellowships managed by the Pace Center offer substantive, high-quality professional opportunities for recent graduates to make a significant contribution to solve public problems. These new alumni apply

what they’ve learned in the classroom and continue to learn and develop new areas of knowledge, skills and perspectives with the support of excellent nonprofits and strong mentorship in the form of supervisors, Princeton alumni, and former fellows. The fellowships allow alumni to manifest their interests and utilize their talents and experience by connecting them with undergraduates and other alumni, to foster a deeper, wider and more effective culture of civically-engaged Princetonians.

Program Growth, Professional GrowthI n 2010-11, the Pace Center outlined several goals for

its two-year postgraduate fellowship programs, the High Meadows Fellowship program focused on environ-ment and sustainability and the Charles W. Puttkammer ‘58 Prisoner Reentry Fellowship focused on issues related to the criminal justice system and specifically, prisoner reentry. Goals for both programs, generously supported by alumni donors, included enhancing and expanding the educational and professional integrity of postgraduate career opportuni-ties with a focus on developing leadership and career paths. The High Meadows and Charles W. Puttkammer ‘58 fel-lows created a community of learning among their cohort of fellows and implemented programmatic enhancements in the form of a new fellows guide which covered issues ranging from supervisor and work issues to how to make the transition from student to employee. A hallmark of both programs is the ongoing reflection of fellows with Pace Center staff in realizing their new roles and responsibilities, as well as professional development. This year was the first time a High Meadows organization requested an additional fellowship, fully funded by the orga-nization, a testament to the value and quality of the fellows, their work, and the fellowship program. In addition, two other High Meadows organizations promoted fellows after the first year of their fellowships. The Puttkammer fellowship also grew in 2010-11. The program added a new fellowship position after the success of the first fellowship and its impact on the fellow’s pro-fessional development and on the work of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Across the Pace Center, community-building is having a positive impact on the success of the center’s various programs and, in 2010-11, the fellowship programs were no different. High Meadows fellows proposed a first-ever annual retreat with the purpose, and successful outcome, of fostering a focused learning environment and cultivating an incubator for programmatic enhancements. High Meadows fellows also designed and led (with guidance from Pace Cen-ter staff) the new fellows’ orientation and recruitment.

Enhancing Program Integrity

“My experience as the Chemicals Policy Fellow at Environmental Defense Fund has allowed me to

develop a fundamental understanding of the intersec-tion of science and policy. I spend part of my time researching emerging science issues, but I also have the opportunity to work directly with regulatory and legislative measures with the Environmental Protec-tion Agency. The varied subjects I have tackled in

blog posts over the past year and half provide a good indication of the scope and depth of my fellowship.”

-Allison Tracy ‘11 High Meadows Fellow

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T he Pace Center outlined future goals to enhance all aspects of its fellowship programs, including:

• Continuing to explore, enhance, and systematize technical processes for applications and program reporting• Increasing the awareness and value of fellowships through a refined, integrated, measurable publicity campaign• Assessing the outcome of programs and initiatives by im-plementing a customized evaluation process and product(s)• Developing a defined and robust professional develop-ment component into the fellowship programs• Cultivating and developing relationships to raise awareness

Davis Projects for PeaceT he Pace Center administered the national Davis

Projects for Peace competition. This year, Princeton was again granted, and selected for, two Davis Projects for Peace awards. The awards went to: Raphael Frankfurter ‘13 for his project entitled “Skills-Training and Microfinance for Kono’s Amputees,” focused on a microfinance program for amputees and skills-training, social work, and prostheses to loan recipi-ents in Sierra Leone. Nushelle De Silva ‘11 for her project, “Express Your-self!” building bridges through sports with children from disparate communities in Sri Lanka.

Fellowships

Tomorrow’s Civic Engagement Leaders

ontributing to the Pace Center Mission The Pace Council for Civic Values (PCCV), the student board of the Pace Center seeking to promote a culture of active citizenship at Princeton University, expanded Princeton’s footprint of civic engagement in

2010-11. Signature events like Reflections on Service introduced new audiences, from prospective students to alumni, to the civic engage-ment work being done by Princetonians. Ongoing support for civic engagement student groups improved the capacity of Princeton students to address issues of public concern with passion, humility, and effective leadership. Initiatives like the Inter-Club Community Fundraiser (ICCF) and Pace Partners created opportunities for students to contribute to local organizations, while support from the Pace Civic Engagement Fund allowed students with innovative proposals to explore a range of public issues.

T he PCCV promotes a culture of active citizenship and civic engagement through advising and leadership

training for civic engagement student groups, funding for student-initiated projects, and signature campus-wide events. In 2010-11, PCCV built on the strength of the student group recognition and advising process created in 2009 to support existing groups and grant recognition to new groups. Mem-bers of the PCCV provided guidance and support to these groups based on their own experience as campus leaders in civic engagement and service. Ongoing training in organiza-tional leadership enhanced their ability to catalyze and support their peers in addressing issues of public significance in thoughtful, effective ways. PCCV also shared effective practices by leading peer-to-peer workshops. PCCV organized Reflections on Service during orientation week. In his keynote speech, George Will *68 urged the Class of 2014 to broaden the definition of civic engagement to in-clude different kinds of careers and ventures. Olympian Joey Cheek ’11, Kohei Noda ’11, and Haley White ’12 reflected on the ways in which they have been civically engaged. PCCV also provided direction for events during Princeton Preview and Reunions. During Preview weekends in April, members of PCCV hosted panel discussions to inform pro-spective students about civic engagement opportunities. At Reunions, the leadership of Food Justice Consulting orga-nized a panel on local food security.

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PCCV: By the Numbers15 members

10 new groups

10 eating clubs participated in ICCF

12 projects funded

30 groups

$4,723.61

Eating Club CollaborationA new initiative for 2010-11 was the Inter-Club Commu-

nity Fundraiser (ICCF). PCCV co-chair Haley White ’12 forged partnerships with the leadership of the eating clubs to organize a fundraiser to benefit the Food Justice Foundation, a Trenton-based nonprofit that improves access to fresh, affordable produce. This was the first civic engagement event on record which drew the participation of every eating club. With a fundraising total of over $4700 during one week in April, the ICCF will become an annual PCCV event. PCCV members also reached out to the service and civic engagement chairs of all six residential colleges to support ongoing initiatives and generate ideas for new projects based in the colleges. A new religious life liaison collaborated with the ORL staff and the Religious Life Council on the In-terfaith Day of Service and other projects. PCCV co-chair Daniel Gastfriend ’13 initiated the Pace Partners program, which connects student groups whose primary purpose is not civic engagement, such as cultural affinity groups, to volunteer opportunities with Pace community partners.

Looking AheadGoals for the PCCV in the year ahead include:

• Studying best practices at peer institutions and offering more leadership workshops to support group leaders• Supporting the USG’s Campus Community Challenge• Strengthening partnerships with Religious Life Council, residential colleges, and cultural affinity groups• Exploring ways to integrate academics and civic engagement• Convening a Global Health Network of students engaged in global health work


Pace Council for Civic Values

raised at ICCF

PACE CENTER FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT201D Frist Campus Center

Princeton, NJ 08544609.258.7260

[email protected]

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

2010-11 pace center for civic engagement year in review

Documents

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