April 2019 E-News highlightsFind April 2019 in our E-News archive on the right to see the full newsletter, including an updated job board, resource list, upcoming conferences, campus news, and more!
$23,642 Raised at 3rd Annual REACH Luncheon!
Thank you to our generous sponsors and donors! Your support is absolutely vital to the work Campus Compact of Oregon does to support students of color and first generation students in our state. If you would like to help us reach our original fundraising goal of $24,000, please donate here! 
Campus Compact Board of Directors News
Welcome Jim Eustrom, new Board Chair Board member Jim Eustrom, Chemeketa Community College Vice President of Instruction and Yamhill Valley Campus President, is stepping up to the role of Campus Compact of Oregon Board Chair. Jim is a longtime supporter of our work since he participated in the very first ELSEE cohort in 2015. Welcome, Jim, and thank you for your dedication to educational equity in Oregon. Thank you to Andrea Cook Andrea Cook, President of Warner Pacific University, has retired from the Campus Compact of Oregon Board of Directors after 5 years of dedicated service. Andrea built a powerful partnership between Warner and Campus Compact and has supported our work through speaking engagements, hosting events on her campus, promoting ELSEE and our other programs and resources, and deeply engaging in the work of transforming systems like admissions and hiring at Warner Pacific to support and engage more students and staff of color. Please join us in thanking Andrea! Outgoing Board Chair Jessica Howard Selected as ACUI's President of the Year "Portland Community College’s Southeast Campus President Jessica Howard’s commitment to students and campus community is no secret. Her accomplishments and leadership that are well-known at PCC have now earned Howard international acclaim by being named the Association of College Unions International’s (ACUI) 2019 “President of the Year.” ACUI’s prestigious award recognizes a senior campus leader for excellence in advancing campus community through engagement, support, and cultivating relationships beyond their administrative position. The nomination of Howard was led by a group of PCC students, faculty, staff and community members in recognition of her dedication to students and building community." Read more 
Summer Paid Service Opportunity for College Students - Now Accepting Applications!
Summer VISTA is a great program for college students, recent high school grads, educators, and others with seasonal employment who want to serve their communities but may not be able to commit to a full-time service year. Work with youth in the Portland Metro area for 8 weeks this summer to prevent summer learning loss at 4 amazing sites: Champions Academy, David Douglas High School, Urban League of Portland, or Native American Youth and Family Center! Summer VISTAs will serve this year from June 14th-August 8th and receive a living stipend, education award, and training and support from Campus Compact. Download a flyer to share with students or apply here! MARCH 2019 E-NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Jessica Howard, Campus Compact of Oregon Board Chair, Named Next President of Chemeketa Community College
Congratulations to our Board Chair Dr. Jessica Howard, current Campus President at PCC Southeast, on being named the next President of Chemeketa Community College! Jessica has served on our Board for 5 years, during Campus Compact of Oregon's transition from a service learning to racial justice focus. She also serves on the Steering Committee for national Campus Compact. Jessica is dedicated to access and inclusion for all students in all she does, and we are so excited to see the impact she can have in this role. Read more on Chemeketa's selection here. 
Oregonians Represented in Campus Compact Awards!
Xeo Griffa, Wayfinding Academy student, was named a Newman Civic Fellow. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year fellowship for community-committed college students from Campus Compact member institutions. The fellowship honors the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact's founders and a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. Read more here! Deborah Smith Arthur, Portland State University professor, was awarded the Engaged Faculty Award at Campus Compact Western Region's Continuums of Service Conference. Read more here! February 2019 E-News HIghlights
Alumni Spotlight: Nelda Reyes: VISTA 2015-16
We caught up with VISTA alumna Nelda Reyes, about two of her recent projects. Nelda is an evaluator, researcher, artist, actress, and—now—consultant and author! Nelda is the primary consultant at AB Cultural Drivers, which provides culturally specific research and evaluation support, and the co-author of Huehuetlatolli: The Wise Tales of My People, a duo-lingual adaptation of legends, songs, and art activities from some of the most influential indigenous cultures of the Americas. Verdis Robinson to Keynote 3rd Annual REACH Luncheon on April 12th
We are excited to have Verdis Robinson, Director of Community College Engagement at national Campus Compact, in Oregon as the keynote speaker for the 3rd Annual REACH Luncheon. Read more about Verdis and his previous work with The Democracy Commitment. The REACH Luncheon is coming up on April 12th and will be generously hosted by Portland Community College Southeast. If your institution is interested in sponsoring the event or purchasing a table, you can view sponsorship benefits on our website! New From National: L.O.V.E. Notes Blog
This month National Campus Compact introduced a new monthly blog series, L.O.V.E. (Living out our Value of Equity) Notes. "We’re kicking off this series as a means to share ideas and stories about fostering L.O.V.E in our communities. We hope these L.O.V.E. Notes will serve as inspiration to build equity models on your campuses that break down the barriers that impede full participation for members of your communities." Check out the first post here. January 2019 E-News Highlights
AmeriCorps Alumni Spotlight: Angela Frazier: VISTA 2014-15
We recently spoke with VISTA alumna Angela Frazier, about her journey since her service year. Angela is a speaker, mental health activist, educator and leader in the health field. Below are some highlights from that conversation! What was the best thing about your VISTA service? I served at Black Parent Initiative as Community Operations Coordinator. We partnered with Portland Public Schools and brought cultural and diversity engagement nights to the schools. We served a lot of people; one thing I did was volunteer recruitment, and I got my sorority sisters and other PSU fraternities and sororities involved. I really liked being a VISTA because it was like an internship where you are able to make mistakes, come up with ideas, and try new things. I ended up writing my first grant while I was there, to fund a community garden. It helped me build my confidence and launch my career. Visit Angela's website and to learn more, connect, and book her as a speaker! 
National's Newest Publication: The Community Engagement Professional's Guidebook
This publication, a companion to 2017's "The Community Engagement Professional in Higher Education," offers a deep dive into the work of community engagement professionals in higher education. Through 10 chapters, Dostillo and Welch identify core competencies of community engagement work and offer interactive tools for reflection and insight. Get it here! December 2018 E-News Highlights
VISTA Program Manager Carmen Denison Named Finalist for Skidmore Prize
!Our own Carmen Denison, VISTA Program Manager, is featured as a Skidmore Prize Finalist in the Willamette Week Give!Guide this year - enabling our organization to participate in this campaign for the first time!What Carmen has to say about her work at our organization: "My work at Campus Compact of Oregon has allowed me to take a pre-existing system, VISTA, and work towards changing it from a program that promotes the white savior complex to a resource for communities of color, a working model for community empowerment. Using tools like the Multnomah County Equity Lens, which were developed to generate conversation, structure, and document community need, Campus Compact promotes collective power and problem-solving. The organization strives to evolve with humility based on the feedback from its partners, staff, and AmeriCorps members of color." Willamette Week awards the Skidmore Prize to young Portlanders who work every day to make Portland a better place and to preserve the community-oriented nature of the city. 
New Campus Member: Eastern Oregon University
We are excited to welcome Eastern Oregon University and President Tom Insko to membership in Campus Compact! October 2018 E-News Highlights
SeptemBER 2018 E-NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Welcome Cheryl Myers to the Campus Compact of Oregon Board!
We are excited to have Cheryl Myers join the Campus Compact of Oregon Board of Directors. Cheryl currently serves as Transition Director for Educator Advancement with the Oregon’s Chief Education Office, bringing knowledge and experience to the work of implementing innovative, agile and inclusive support to Oregon public educators. Her background includes organizational and economic development, public policy, education/youth advocacy, with a history of assisting organizations to construct equitable cultures and embed collaborative practices. She served as the Higher Education Commission’s (HECC) first Chief of Staff, followed by appointment as the Director of Culture & Inclusion and continues making vital equity contributions to the agency. Cheryl has long been a strong advocate for underserved voices in a variety of community roles including eight years as an elected school board member for one of Oregon’s largest school districts and numerous local and national nonprofit board roles. An alumna of our ELSEE program as part of the HECC's team in 2017-18, Cheryl is familiar with our work and we are thrilled to have her! 
New Member: Umpqua Community College
We are excited to welcome back Umpqua Community College to membership in Campus Compact! Welcome to UCC and President Debra Thatcher! All Campus Compact members can receive up for 4 free hours of technical assistance or training, as well as many other benefits such as discounted participation in the ELSEE and access to our AmeriCorps resources. View our membership benefits here! July 2018 E-News Highlights
From National Campus Compact Introducing The Democracy Initiative for Community Colleges
As of July 1, 2018 The Democracy Commitment (TDC), an effort dedicated to advancing the civic power of community college students, faculty, and staff, has become an initiative of Campus Compact. The launch of the TDC initiative at Campus Compact will provide targeted programming and dedicated resources to support civic learning at community colleges and contribute to a healthy democracy by preparing students for active, engaged participation in public life. The initiative will be led by Verdis L. Robinson, Campus Compact’s new director for community college engagement, who was formerly national director of TDC. The community college members of TDC will join Campus Compact, receiving all the benefits that come with membership in its network of over 1,000 higher education institutions across the country. Meanwhile, this new initiative will provide all community college members of Campus Compact with expanded support specific to the challenges and opportunities of their campuses. Did you know that Campus Compact of Oregon has one of the highest rates of Community College membership in the country? We are excited about this resource specifically geared towards our 10 community college members. 
1st Annual Campus Compact AmeriCorps Alumni Summer BBQ
If you have particpated in one of our AmeriCorps programs over the last 11 years, you are cordially invited to a Summer BBQ to reconnect, hang out with your friends, meet and network with alumni from other years, and enjoy Josh's excellent homemade sangria! RSVP and view details on the Facebook event. June 2018 E-News Highlights
NCORE is Coming to Portland, Oregon!
Mark your calendars - NCORE, short for National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education - will be held in Portland, OR May 28th - June 1st, 2019. "The NCORE conference series constitutes the leading and most comprehensive national forum on issues of race and ethnicity in American higher education. The conference focuses on the complex task of creating and sustaining comprehensive institutional change designed to improve racial and ethnic relations on campus and to expand opportunities for educational access and success by culturally diverse, traditionally underrepresented populations." May 2018 E-News Highlights
A Message from Our Equity Action Teams - Please Contribute to Our Surveys!
Please consider completing the following surveys, created by Campus Compact of Oregon Equity Action Teams. Our goal is to create a progress report that collates current effective practices, recommendations for the state, barriers and persisting questions folx currently hold in connection to these two priority areas of focus. We envision the progress report being used for advocacy and to address barriers. Supporting Undocumented and Immigrant Students in Oregon Schools Recruiting, Retaining, and Promoting Faculty and Staff of Color in Oregon The deadline is Friday, June 8 2018. If you would like to have a conversation in lieu of filling out this survey, or if you have any questions about the survey, confidentiality concerns and more, please contact Mila at mila@oregoncampuscompact.org. Disclaimer: By completing this survey, you are giving permission for Campus Compact of Oregon to synthesize the content of your response into aggregate results. Specific examples could be highlighted. It is your choice to associate the name of your institution to your response. The names of individuals completing the survey will NE be shared unless with express written permission. Even if you do not complete the survey, please support us in sending this to contacts within your network that may be interested. 
A Note from our Executive Director on the Closure of Marylhurst University
As many in our network already know, we received the sad news that after 125 years Marylhurst University has decided to close its doors. This is a great loss to Oregon and more importantly Oregonians. Marylhurst has provided high quality education especially to adult learners and produced amazing leaders for our State. This year would have been Marylhurst's tenth anniversary of being a member of Campus Compact of Oregon. Under President Rose's leadership, a team from Marylhurst were a part of our first Executive Learning Series on Equity & Empowerment cohort and went on to host an Equity & Empowerment Corps service member to support students of color to deepen a sense of belonging and connection on campus. Two of Campus Compact of Oregon's staff serve as adjunct faculty at Marylhurst, on so many levels it has been an honor to be in partnership. The higher education landscape will be forever changed with the closing of Marylhurst. Our support and care goes to all of the faculty, staff, and students who will be impacted and hope for a successful transition into new pathways to success for them all. - Josh Todd, Executive Director April 2017 E-News HighlightsREACH Luncheon Exceeds Fundraising Goal!
On April 20th, we hosted the REACH Luncheon, our annual fundraising event. Seeing over 100 of our partners - ELSEE alumni, presidents, AmeriCorps members and supervisors, and more - together in one room was powerful! It is always heartening to remember that we are not doing this work in isolation. We are excited to announce that with the generous support of our host and Douglas Fir sponsor Warner Pacific University, our ten other event sponsors, ticket sales, and over sixty individual donors, we raised $25,741 to support our REACH Initiative - here's to 2018-19 and promoting racial equity across college and high school, together! March 2018 E-News Highlights
Ben Cannon to Keynote Presidential Summit on Equity in Higher Education on April 20th
We are excited to announce that Ben Cannon, Executive Director of Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission, will join us as the keynote speaker for the Presidential Summit on Equity in Higher Education on April 20th at 1:30pm. Immediately following the REACH Luncheon fundraiser, college and university presidents from Oregon are invited to join us to discuss the preliminary findings of the Equity Action Teams and engage in dialogue about implementing practices and policies to support equity on campus. More on the Presidential Summit 
2018 Newman Civic Fellows Announced
The 2018 Newman Civic Fellows have been announced! Every year, national Campus Compact selects students nominated by college presidents for the Newman Civic Fellowship, a one-year fellowship for community-committed college students from Campus Compact member institutions. We have three Fellows to congratulate from Oregon: Charity Williams from Mt. Hood Community College, Ruta Faifaiese from Oregon State University, and TJ Brown from Wayfinding Academy. Thank you for your commitment to your campuses and communities! 
Oregon's Public University Presidents Voice Support for AmeriCorps
Oregon Volunteers, the state commission on service and volunteering that allows state AmeriCorps programs such as our own Connect2Complete to exist, recently won a legislative victory that granted the commission continued state funding and a move to be hosted by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC). We want to thank everyone who worked hard to make this happen, including the eight presidents of Oregon's public universities, who signed a joint letter in support of AmeriCorps in Oregon, expressing the value of the program to their communities and their students. Read the full letter here! February 2018 News Highlights
We're Published! Sonali S. Balajee and Josh Todd Co-Authored Article on ELSEE for Metropolitan Universities Journal
Campus Compact of Oregon's Senior Consultant Sonali Sangeeta Balajee and Executive Director Josh Todd recently co-authored an article for the most recent "Equity and Inclusion" issue of the Metropolitan Universities Journal about our yearlong learning series on applying an equity lens in higher education. "This article describes the Executive Learning Series on Equity & Empowerment (ELSEE), which works not to just promote these values but to embody them and transform the academy (and those within it) through a deeper set of interventions, emphasizing the integration of holistic health, spirit based practice, mindfulness, and other practices of decolonization."This issue of the journal also features an article from Campus Compact of Oregon member president Michelle Jones about founding a new college, Wayfinding Academy as well as an article about campus member Portland State University's equity infused strategic planning process. If you would like to better understand the heart of the work we do, this tells the story best! Read the full article here! January 2018 News Highlights
MLK Day 2018: Over 400 Volunteers Serve SE Portland Neighborhoods
MLK Day of Service 2018 was Monday, January 15th! Students from Concordia University, George Fox University, Mt. Hood Community College, Portland Community College, Portland State University, and Warner Pacific University (with guests from University of Portland and Wayfinding Academy) gathered at Warner Pacific for an opening rally. The volunteers were warmly welcomed by President Andrea Cook, and then saw a video of MLK's "What is Your Life''s Blueprint" speech. Our keynote speaker, Mr. Ed Washington, works for Portland State University and is an instructor at Portland Community College, and has been involved in the civil rights and social justice movements in Portland for 60 years. Service sites for the day included Depave, Nadaka Nature Park, Solve, Tabor Courtyard, Birch Community Services, The Rosewood Initiative, and more! View a complete list on our website along with information about further service opportunities with the organizations. If you are interested in students from your college or university participating in this event next year, please contact Carmen Denison soon! We start planning for 2019 in July. TheDream.UD receives $33M Grant to Fund Scholarships for Dreamers
TheDream.US, the nation’s largest scholarship program for Dreamers, announced today a $33 million dollar scholarship grant from Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos. The grant, the largest in the organization’s history, will give 1,000 undocumented immigrant graduates of US high schools with DACA status the opportunity to go to college. TheDream.US partners with more than 70 low-cost colleges in 15 states. Dreamers receive a total of $33,000 in scholarship aid over four years to help pay the cost of tuition, fees and books. 2,850 students are currently enrolled in college under the program. Read more and view all scholarship opportunities from TheDream.US. DECEMBER 2017 E-NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Spirit Mountain Community Fund Awards Campus Compact of Oregon grant to support Equity Action Teams
Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the foundation administered by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, announced this week that Campus Compact of Oregon will receive a $6,600 grant to support our Equity Action Team! Funds from SMCF will specifically benefit the team of individuals working to identify recommendations and best practices about Supporting Undocumented and Immigrant Students. Campus Compact staff were honored to attend a check presentation on 12/13 with the tribal council of the Confederated Tribes, where we learned more about the history of the Tribes and the Fund, as well as our fellow grantees. Thank you to Spirit Mountain Community Fund for your support of Equity Action Teams! |
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