Center for Political Participation
Center for Economic and Environmental Development
Office of Community Service and Service-Learning
Events throughout the spring semester at Allegheny College will continue the campus-community dialogues begun last year when Allegheny joined the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ Core Commitments program.
The Core Commitments program explores how higher education can foster engaged citizenship, teach personal and social responsibility, encourage a respect for diversity, cultivate excellence and implement programs that support community engagement. Allegheny was one of only 28 schools nationwide invited to join the Core Commitments Leadership Consortium.
“The Core Commitments program is really about re-examining the mission of education in the 21st century,” says Amara Geffen, professor of art and director of the Center for Economic and Environmental Development. Geffen directs the Core Commitments program at Allegheny with Associate Dean for Wellness Jacquelyn Kondrot.
“We want to create an ongoing college-community dialogue around this program,” says Geffen. “Our work with our community partners is without a doubt central to stimulating engaged citizenship on our campus and in Meadville. Through Core Commitments we’re hoping to promote collaboration among our programs for community and civic engagement, strengthen curricular programs that teach social responsibility, and bring those concepts alive for our students both inside and outside the classroom.”
As part of the Core Commitments initiative, Allegheny also asked students, faculty, administrators, alumni and community partners to take a survey about personal and social responsibility that was created by the AAC&U. The survey’s results will serve as a catalyst for future campus-community dialogues.
The series of campus-community dialogues continues this semester with two events: a dialogue with Brian Hill, president of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, on February 1 and a dialogue on “Developing a Campus Honor Code of Conduct” on March 25.
A full schedule of spring events related to the Core Commitments program can be found here.
More information can be found by e-mailing ceed@allegheny.edu or calling 332-2713.
The Allegheny Core Commitments team:
Core Commitments is an initiative of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and is funded by the John Templeton Foundation. The Core Commitments language and graphics should not be reproduced for purposes unrelated to this project.
