Past Service Learning Faculty Fellows and projects
2005-2006

Unit Implementation Fellows

Craig Nicolson of Natural Resources Conservation, Mari Castañeda Paredes of Communication, Glenn Caffery of Resource Economics, and other members of the campus Information Technology Task Force collaborated on the development of an Information Technology Capstone course for students pursuing an IT minor.  The class focused both theoretically and practically on the "Digital Divide" by having students collaborate in four multi-disciplinary teams on communications technology projects.  Three of the four teams worked with organizations based in Holyoke, including an after-school program called "El Arco Iris" ('The Rainbow') that works with at-risk children.  The teams of students designed and built websites for El Arco Iris and three other organizations: Nueva Esperanza, the Holyoke Community Outreach Partnership Center (a coalition of area colleges and grassroots community groups working on education, increasing home ownership and revitalizing Holyoke’s downtown), and the town of Athol.

Faculty Teaching Fellows

Lynn Adler of Plant and Soil Sciences made service-learning an integral part of her undergraduate Entomology course: Insect-Plant Interactions.  As a part of their coursework, students worked on the organic farm at Hampshire College, observing interactive processes while providing hands-on support throughout the harvest season.  Drawing upon this experience, Professor Adler and her students designed a farm and science education project for 2006-2007 that involves UMass undergraduates teaching elementary school students about plant and soil interactions at the Hampshire farm.                                                 

David Glassberg of the History Department, with assistance from Jerry Schoen of the Water Resources Research Center, designed an innovative course, Public History Workshop: Athol and the Millers River.  Students enrolled in the class examined the interaction of human and natural communities from the 1700s to the present, including the environmental impact of agriculture and industry, population growth, and recent efforts to clean up pollution.  They developed a range of educational materials about the environmental history of Athol and the Millers River for the Millers River Environmental Center, including an evening public presentation to the community.

Stephen Jefferson and Sheranne Fairley, faculty members in Sport Management, worked to design a new course on Mentoring in Sports.  The aim of the project is to involve UMass undergraduates in teaching physical education, sportsmanship and life skills to students at Forest Park Middle School in Springfield.

As part of broader efforts to establish the Center for Design Engagement within the Department of Art and Architecture, Joseph Krupczynski engaged the students in his Architectural Design/Interior Design “Holyoke” Studio in researching the Skinner Building in South Holyoke.  The building boasted a long history as a meeting place for recent immigrants and migrants to the city, but having fallen into disrepair, it was slated for demolition.  By combining historic research and preliminary design concepts with an analysis of the potential fiscal strategies and user profiles, students developed a plan for renovation of the Skinner Building positioning it to play a key role in the economic revitalization and cultural development of South Holyoke.

The History Department’s Alice Nash taught a junior year writing seminar on Indigenous Peoples of the Northeast and involved her students in presenting a conference, "Polishing the Chain of Friendship: UMass-Amherst and the Kahnawake Survival School, 1978-2005."  The conference explored how members of the Kahnawake Mohawk community in Quebec started a community-controlled public high school in 1978 that emphasizes Mohawk language, values and traditions.  UMass professors and undergraduates played a key role in supporting this endeavor.  Nash's students saw history brought to life as the conference reunited many of the principal players in the partnership from both UMass and Kahnawake, highlighting the success and future of the Kahnawake Survival School.

Mari Castañeda Paredes of the Communication Department taught Spanish Language Media as a community service learning course.  Students in the class volunteered and helped to write and tell community stories at several Holyoke-based organizations that produce radio programs and print media in Spanish.

Faculty Research Fellows

Leda Cooks and Erica Scharrer, both of Communication, received research awards for proposals focusing on assessing and strengthening operations at the Office of Community Service Learning and increasing recognition for the office within the university and in the Pioneer Valley.  Professor Cooks organized students in her graduate seminar, Qualitative Research Methods, into teams to design and implement a range of projects.  Professor Scharrer is working on a complementary quantitative research project to assess the impact of CSL experiences on undergraduate students.
                                                

Faculty Planning Fellow

Christopher Overtree, director of the Psychological Services Center and member of the Clinical Psychology faculty, worked on a planning grant that led to two Service Learning Fellowships awarded for 2006-2007.  One was for the introduction of CSL into his Abnormal Psychology course, engaging students in direct service, advocacy, and research related to issues of mental illness.  The second was for a unit grant involving several members of the Clinical Psychology faculty (Richard Halgin, Rebecca Ready, and Karen Blum) in the development of a cluster of courses that will involve graduate students in providing low-cost or free psychological assessment to low-income individuals and families, enabling them to access other mental health resources available in the community.