<strong>Engaging in our Community: panel</strong>

A diverse group of SUNY Fredonia faculty will discuss their own involvement with community-based instruction in the panel discussion, “Engaging in Our Community: Instruction and Impact,” planned for Thursday, April 20, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Room S-121 of the Williams Center.

The “Engaging in Our Community: Instruction and Impact” panel discussion will also coincide with the 18th annual National Youth Service Day, which runs from Friday, April 21 to Sunday, April 23. The discussion is part of a series sponsored by the Advisory Group for Volunteer Services at SUNY Fredonia. ““

There are learning experiences available within the community that simply can’t be replicated in the classroom,” said Dr. David Rankin, an assistant professor of Political Science and member of the Volunteer Services Advisory Group. “Community activity has both an immediate and enduring impact on participants… It teaches our students that they can make a difference, and that all of our contributions are a vital part of not only the communities in which we reside but the health of our democracy overall.”

Members of the “Engaging in Our Community: Instruction and Impact” panel will include Communication Professor Ann Carden, Geosciences and G.I.S. professor Ann Deakin, Music Therapy Professor Joni Milgram-Luterman, and Biology Professor Theodore Lee.“

Future events in the series will include more panel discussions, forums, and workshops to examine, explore, and encourage faculty and student partnerships within the local area.

“There has been a very positive trend in volunteerism and community activity nationwide among incoming college students, in part, because of increasing institutional commitment in providing and rewarding these types of opportunities,” Dr. Rankin noted. “We have a unique opportunity to build on valuable community involvement and impact while stimulating faculty growth and educating our students at the highest level.”

For more information on volunteer opportunities at SUNY Fredonia, contact Volunteer and Community Services Coordinator Joyce Harvard Smith at 716-673-3690 or visit the website.