To kick off my fourth and final year at the University of Virginia, I am taking a unique class in the Sociology department that involves community action as part of the course. Learning through practical experience that also benefits the community seems like such an obviously good idea, but there are very few classes that operate this way. Why do universities tend to be so detached from their local communities?
Although he doesn’t exactly offer an answer to my question, Ernest Boyer addressed this issue in the 1995 Stated Meeting of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He proclaimed the importance of what he called the scholarship of engagement: “[C]onnecting the rich resources of the university to our most pressing social, civic, and ethical problems, to our children, to our schools, to our teachers, and to our cities…” Proposing fundamental reforms that need to be made in higher education, the speech is eloquently written with some very sharp wit. I loved his reference to the complexity of taking his grandchildren on an outing — used as justification for why elementary class sizes should be smaller. However, he made sweeping observations about the decline of the historic commitment to the scholarship of engagement that I wish had been illustrated with data or at least a specific example.
Ira Harkavy of the University of Pennsylvania warns that “our great universities simply cannot afford to remain islands of affluence, self-importance, and horticultural beauty in seas of squalor, violence, and despair.” While I wouldn’t describe Charlottesville with any of those words, her point hits home, and I can’t wait to get involved with one of the local organizations that each student in the class will be working with this semester. We have heard presentations from all three of the prospective groups:
- Virginia Organizing – I would conduct individual outreach with the aim of increasing voter turnout, especially among lower income citizens with higher barriers to participation.
- The Bridge Progressive Arts Institute – I would carry out administrative tasks and contribute ideas for furthering the organizations mission of building community through collaborative practices and programming in the arts.
- Not for Sale – I would help conduct research about human trafficking in Virginia.
Not only was it great to learn more about different organizations in Virginia doing important work, it was inspiring to hear how the individuals had become involved in the first place. Virginia Organizing was represented by two candid young guys who I could tell were actually interested in our help and our opinions. It was also great to meet the co-founder and executive director of The Bridge PAI, the organization I would like to work with. Because of my involvement with the arts in Charlottesville, it was already on my radar and I really want to get more involved in what I think is a very unique organization. Specifically, I’d like to help The Bridge get more exposure during the Virginia Film Festival held in Charlottesville in November. I will be interning at the Festival this fall, so I feel like I would be in a good position to help ensure these two organizations are making the most of their common interests and goals.
