Carolina Connects - Public Service and Engagement at Carolina

Programs and Activities

Our office incorporates a wide network of programs and activities designed to build and support meaningful connections with the people of North Carolina. Some of our programs are explained here and we hope you will check back to this page often. We will be developing more programs in the months ahead.

Golden Leaf Foundation Partnership with Carolina

The Golden Leaf Foundation recently announced that it will allocate a minimum of $2 million per year for 5 years to Carolina to identify, leverage, and apply the intellectual resources of the University in ways that will have the most positive impact on the health, welfare, and economic security of rural communities in North Carolina. The Foundation’s funding will support projects in economic development, health, and other areas that address the most important needs in formally tobacco-dependent counties in North Carolina. Vice Chancellor Mike Smith, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development Tony Waldrop, and Professor Ned Brooks provide campus-wide leadership for this effort, and Jean Elia serves as project director.

UNC Tomorrow

Vice Chancellor Mike Smith serves as Carolina’s liaison to the UNC Tomorrow initiative. Led by President Erskine Bowles, the program examines how all of the campuses within the UNC System, including Carolina, will respond to the most pressing needs facing the North Carolina over the next twenty years. Vice Chancellor Mike Smith organized a half-day meeting with President Bowles and his staff in May 2007 to demonstrate how the University already is addressing the many of the state’s needs, and he also hosted a Faculty Listening Forum for faculty from the Triangle universities in November 2007. For more information on the UNC Tomorrow initiative, visit www.nctomorrow.org.

Dialogue on Engagement

Vice Chancellor Mike Smith is facilitating a campus dialogue with Carolina faculty and staff on the topic of engagement and engaged scholarship. Discussions will cover a range of topics, and will focus on questions and issues facing community engagement at Carolina: What is engaged scholarship? What are some examples of engaged scholarship that we can look to in our community and others? How can we best reward engagement efforts? More details on the Dialogue on Engagement will follow in the coming months.

Vice Chancellor Mike Smith will also host the “Research Universities and Civic Engagement Conference” on campus in February 2008. Co-sponsored by Campus Compact, this national conference on engagement will bring together representatives and colleagues from leading public and private research universities across the country. For more information on this national initiative visit www.compact.org/initiatives/research_universities

Faculty Engaged Scholars

The Faculty Engaged Scholars Program, a new initiative of the Carolina Center for Public Service and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Service and Engagement, is designed to advance and encourage faculty involvement in the scholarship of engagement. In spring 2008, the first class of eight scholars will participate in a program focused on learning about and pursuing community engagement through scholarly work. This two-year program will expand by adding a group of new scholars each year; Professor Ronald Strauss (Dentistry) will serve as faculty director and Mrs. Lucille Webb (Strengthening the Black Family, Inc.) as community director. For more information, visit the Carolina Center for Public Service site.