The University and members of the Charlottesville and Albemarle County communities co-hosted the second annual U.Va. Public Service Conference Friday in Minor and Monroe Halls as part of a University effort to broaden community engagement and public service.
"The goal of the conference is to bring together student, community and faculty partners to collaborate and share knowledge about public service," said Megan Raymond, director of academic community engagement in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. "We hope that people with expertise in the field will have an opportunity to share their experiences and insights with others who want to be more involved with service and community engagement at U.Va."
The event consisted of workshops, sessions and panel discussions about how public service organizations can collaborate across groups, motivate volunteers, measure success and connect service to academics, Raymond said.
Members of the regional community participated as conference planners, panelists and audience members, said Angela Davis, special assistant to the vice president and chief student affairs officer.\nMeanwhile, the conference included - for the first time ever - presentations by the Jefferson Public Citizens students. Members of the 2009 class discussed the findings of their research-service projects, Raymond said, noting that the presentations may have been a particularly valuable addition to the agenda.
"The JPC sessions were very well-done, informative and inspiring," she said. "Our students have accomplished so much in the JPC program, and they clearly have made a positive impact on the communities they engaged."
One group's presentation will be selected by a panel of judges to receive a $500 award, which will be given to the project's community partner. The winning group will be announced today, Raymond said.
The University's drive to emphasize academic community engagement began two years ago in response to recommendations from the Commission on the Future of the University and several other University reports, Davis said. As a result, the University created the Public Service Advisory Board and the Jefferson Public Citizens program to demonstrate a new commitment to service as an institutional goal, she said.
Such a commitment could have far-reaching effects on the local community.
"I've seen a lot of very encouraging developments in this area and a lot of attention given to engagement in the community," said Engineering Prof. Paxton Marshall, a member of the advisory board for the JPC program. "It is a very important development in higher education that has tended to isolate itself from real world problems"
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