HRSDC Enabling Accessibility Fund

The Enabling Accessibility Fund is part of a $45-million, three-year commitment to expand opportunities for people with disabilities and improve accessibility across Canada. The objective of the Enabling Accessibility Fund is to support community-based projects across Canada that improve accessibility, reduce barriers and enable Canadians, regardless of physical ability, to participate in and contribute to their community and the economy. Approved projects will have strong ties to and support from their communities.

The Office of Disability Issues is pleased to announce that a Call for Proposals for Small Projects Enabling Accessibility is now open. Please note that the deadline to apply is Monday May 4th 2009 at midnight (12h00 AM). All proposals received after the closing date of the Call for Proposals will not be considered in this process.

We are providing the information on the web site to help you prepare your proposal. For further information regarding the call, please visit our website at: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/disability_issues/eaf/call2009/index.shtml

Should you have any questions regarding the new call for proposal please contact us through our toll free number at: 1-800-O-CANADA (1 800 622-6232) or TTY: 1 800 926-9105 or by e-mail at: eafcall2009-appelfa2009@hrsdc-rhdsc.gc.ca

Would it be possible for you to distribute this e-mail to ensure that as many potential applicants as possible are made aware that funding to improve accessibility to their facilities is available through the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF).

Conference on Building Community Resiliency: Call for Proposals

Deadline: April 17, 2009

The 15th annual Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) conference, hosted by Widener University from October 11-13, 2009 will focus on "Building community resiliency: The role of university leadership." This conference will explore how universities can promote a strengths-based approach to partnering with their communities to nurture community resiliency. Suggested topics include: Strengths-based approaches, Educational infrastructure, Environmental threats and remediation, Wellness and public health, Social capital, Economic/business development, Impact assessment. Individuals may submit proposals for paper presentations, panel discussions, or poster displays. Consistent with the conference theme, the content should relate to institutional commitments by urban and metropolitan universities to drive progress in their regional communities. Complete information about proposal submissions can be viewed at: http://www.cumuonline.org/conference

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Community Service-Learning 2009-2010

Application deadline: May 15, 2009

The Community Service-Learning Program at the University of Alberta invites applications for our Postdoctoral Fellowship in Community Service-Learning. The term of the fellowship is 12 months with possibility of renewal (value = $44,000 plus $2500 research/travel fund). This fellowship is open to recent PhD’s (degree completed within last three years) with experience and demonstrated research interests in community-engaged research and teaching. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to develop and pursue a research project that relates to community service-learning and to actively contribute to the development of the Community Service-Learning Program at the University of Alberta. Additional responsibilities include facilitation of Humanities 101 or another program sponsored by Community Service-Learning and the opportunity to teach one of the following (with separate remuneration): CSL100, CSL300 or CSL350/360. For application details (including downloadable application form), please visit the Community Service-Learning Program at www.arts.ualberta.ca/csl.

Application deadline: May 15, 2009. Postdoctoral Fellowship begins August 1, 2009.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must have experience and demonstrated research interest in community-engaged scholarship and teaching (field or discipline open).

• Must be willing to contribute to the development of the Community Service-Learning Program at the University of Alberta.

• Open to citizens of any country.

• Must have a doctoral degree (within 3 years post-PhD from the time of application submission or will complete PhD prior to commencing the fellowship).

• Must not hold a permanent faculty position at another university or college at the time of application submission.

• Must not hold or have held a postdoctoral fellowship from any funding agency or a University named fellowship (e.g. CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, AHFMR, Killam/Notley).

Please forward this message to anyone who might be interested in the position.

For further information, please contact: Dr. Lise Gotell, Acting Director, Community Service-Learning Program, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, lise.gotell@ualberta.ca

NCSPOD Conference Call for Proposals

NCSPOD invites conference session proposals that highlight the exceptional professional development work occurring at your institutions. Panel presentations are encouraged.

Saint Paul, Minnesota is the ideal location for our conference. Situated atop the bluffs of the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul, the Crowne Plaza Hotel is one of the top hotels for Minnesota vacations. Relax in comfortable accommodations while enjoying the best of the Twin Cities including the Mall of America, Minnesota Children's Museum, Minnesota State Capitol, Minnesota History Center, Guthrie Theatre, Science Museum of Minnesota, Walker Art Center, Ordway Theatre and many other attractions.

Presentations are sought in the following categories: Professional Development, Staff Development, Faculty and Instructional Development, Program and Organizational Development and Sustainability and Research/Innovations. Sessions can be designed for new and seasoned practitioners, faculty developers, staff developers, program developers, organizational developers and administrators as well as others interested in professional development within higher education and related fields.

Proposals will be reviewed by a committee of NCSPOD members. The submission deadline is April 24th. Presenters will be electronically notified of their proposal status in June. Please indicate summer contact information if it varies from academic year contact information. Honoraria and expenses are not available for presenters and presenters are expected to register and pay the full conference registration fee. We invite proposals that not only explore the theme, “Navigating the Currents of Change,” but also engage participants and facilitate NCSPOD networking.

If you have questions, please contact: Judy Snyder, President of NCSPOD, Community College of Baltimore County, 800 South Rolling Road, Baltimore, MD 21228; jsnyder@ccbcmd.edu.

2009 Assessment Institute in Indianapolis - Call for Proposals on Civic Engagement

We would like to extend to you and your colleagues an invitation to join us for the 2009 Assessment Institute in Indianapolis October 25-27, 2009. There is a special track for Civic Engagement, and your work in assessing civic learning outcomes, service learning, or campus-community partnerships would be of interest to these attendees. Please consider submitting a proposal by Friday, March 20 using the link below. We would be particularly pleased to receive proposals addressing any of the ten tracks listed in the bullet points below. To submit a proposal, go to: http://planning.iupui.edu/institute/callforproposals .

For more information, please consult our campus website: www.planning.iupui.edu (click on ‘Assessment Institute - October 25-27, 2009’)

There will be special track plenary sessions and workshops emphasizing assessment in:

* Civic Engagement
* ePortfolios
* Faculty Development
* First-Year Experience
* Student Development And Diversity

In addition, there will be sessions with national assessment leaders, the Best Practices Fair, and additional learning opportunities emphasizing:

• Accreditation
• All Major Fields
• Assessment Methods
• Community Colleges
• General Education

The Retention Project and the WACC VISTA Project

Washington Campus Compact (WACC) is pleased to offer the Retention Project and the WACC VISTA Project, pending funding, to support member institutions. WACC has designed a two-step application process for member institutions to apply for these projects. First, interested member institutions are asked to submit a brief Letter of Interest (via email) stating their plans to participate in one or both programs. Then, they should submit a full proposal for each project.

For more information and to apply, go to http://www.wacampuscompact.org/documents/WACC%20RFP%2009-10%20AmeriCorps%20&%20VISTA%20final.pdf

engage YOUTH: student delegate applications due April 15

Designed to complement engage NOW conference, engage YOUTH brings together current and up and coming student leaders from Calgary area high schools, and universities and colleges across Canada, who are committed through leadership and service to making a difference in their communities, locally, nationally, and globally. engage YOUTH will enable these students to meet, network, and create an action plan for change. Youth track sessions will look at some of the following questions and themes:

How do we best prepare youth to engage with communities and to initiate change in our world?

How are youth contributing to social change in Calgary, Alberta, and the nation as a whole?

What are the barriers to youth civic engagement, and how do we best support youth civic engagement?

How do youth respond to community-based learning and service-learning programs?

What are best practices for supporting student leadership development and student learning through service?

About the engage YOUTH pre-conference session:
Youth delegates are also invited to attend a pre-conference workshop, tailored just for you! The optional pre-conference workshop takes place on Wednesday, September 1, 2009 from 8:30am-12:00pm. Please indicate on your application whether or not you plan to attend. The pre-conference workshop is an opportunity for you to meet other young people committed to community involvement and social change and to learn about a social issue, or ways to make change in a workshop setting. Further details about this special session will be circulated in late spring.

engage YOUTH delegates:
engage YOUTH is open to 100 post-secondary and 50 secondary students. Delegates are selected by a committee of staff and students who review each candidate’s application. The committee will look at a number of factors for selection, including students’ experience with leadership, and service.

Additional conference details:
When: Thursday, October 1, 2009, 7:30am-5:00pm (see tentative schedule attached)
Where: The TELUS Convention Centre, Calgary, Alberta
Delegate Fees: Youth delegate fees are $150, and are payable upon acceptance to the conference. A small number of bursaries will be made available to students who demonstrate financial need.

Application Deadline:
Applications and reference letters must be submitted, as ONE pdf. file by 12 Noon on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. For more information about engage YOUTH, please contact Gareth McVicar, Coordinator, Student Leadership Programs at the University of Calgary at gmcvicar@ucalgary.ca or (403) 210-9611.

Tentative Schedule:
To see the complete schedule for both engage NOW and engage YOUTH conference, please visit www.dalailamacalgary.com

Engage NOW Conference Call for Proposals

Deadline: Proposals should be submitted electronically to speakers@cartermcrae.com by midnight (MST) on Friday, April 17th, 2009.

Community members, non‐profit organizations and change‐agents, staff, faculty and students from higher education and secondary school are invited to submit proposals for the engage NOW conference being held Thursday, October 1, 2009 in Calgary, Alberta. Proposals for presentations, workshops, case studies and poster presentations relating to campus-community partnerships, community development, Community‐Based Research and Community Service‐Learning are welcome.

The University of Calgary’s Service‐Learning and Community Engagement Program, together with the engage NOW organizing committee invites community members, leaders in the non‐profit sector, staff and faculty in Canadian higher
education institutions, and students, teachers and administrators from Canadian high schools, as well as international delegates, to submit proposals for presentations, workshops, case studies and poster presentations that address the following thematic areas:

engage SERVICE
The fields of service‐learning, experiential education and community‐based research are growing quickly across Canada and institutions of higher education are increasingly promoting collaborative projects with the greater community, and
particularly with the non‐profit sector. How do we create and sustain meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships? How do we support community‐engagement at the institutional level and enhance our capacity to do this type of work? What are the best practices for these partnerships?

engage CHANGE
As citizens, institutions, regions and nations, we are faced with an array of complex challenges: declining civic engagement, climate change and environmental degradation, disparities between rich and poor and a global economic crisis among others. Not one of these challenges can be resolved by individuals – solutions require collaboration between sectors, institutions and
individual citizens. We invite proposals from groups or individuals who have collaborated to tackle issues in their communities, particularly when such endeavors have been partnerships between higher education and the community.

engage YOUTH
How do we best prepare youth to engage with communities and to initiate change in our world? How are youth contributing to social change? What are the barriers to youth civic engagement, and how do we best support youth civic engagement? How do youth respond to community‐based learning? What are best practices for supporting leadership development and student learning through service?

Proposals on other related topics will be considered.

Individual or Group Presentation Sessions: Individuals or groups are invited to present material that would be of interest to other conference delegates including youth, community partners, and staff and faculty in higher education. Proposals
should include a description of the presentation and anticipated learning goals for session. Two or three papers on similar topics will be grouped together in the same concurrent session. Presentations will be 20 minutes in length.

Case Study and Workshop Sessions: Individuals or groups are invited to prepare and present hands‐on opportunities for participants to learn or practice a new skill in an active setting. Case studies and workshop sessions may be up to 75 minutes in length. Proposals should detail anticipated learning goals for participants, as well as your plan to engage participants. At least 50% of the session should be devoted to active participation.

Poster Presentations: Individuals or groups are invited to prepare poster presentations relating to the themes mentioned above. Posters should be prepared to fit a standard 4’ X 8’ display area.

Submission Process:
• Send abstracts of no more than 500 words to speakers@cartermcrae.com by midnight (MST) on Friday, April 17, 2009, subject line engage NOW proposal.
• Indicate whether you are proposing a Presentation, Workshop, Case Study or Poster.
• List contact information for presenter(s).

Review Process and Selection Criteria:
All proposals will be reviewed by the engage NOW organizing committee. Proposals will be reviewed using the following criteria:
• Relevance to the conference theme
• Articulation of learning objectives for session participants
• Description of the session
• Quality of active‐learning component (for workshop and case studies)
• Overall contribution to the fields of community development, community‐based learning and community servicelearning
• Applicability of proposals to the greater Calgary community

*Collaborative presentations between community and campus representatives are especially welcome.

Call for Papers: Third International Symposium on Service-Learning

Call for Papers:
Third International Symposium on Service-Learning
“Service-Learning in Higher Education: Educators, Communities, and Students”
University of Indianapolis-Athens, Athens, Greece
November 22–24, 2009

Symposium Background & Purpose
Universities are increasingly embracing service-learning as a model to integrate community service with learning and research. If service-learning is considered a “social movement” or “social reform” affecting higher education, a number of pertinent questions must be addressed so that service-learning can be rooted in the fabric of higher education. This symposium encourages participants to explore a wide range of issues related to research, curriculum design, assessment, institutional support, community connections and partnerships, and student development, with the goal of providing participants with perspective on critical issues, paradigms, and challenges in service-learning in higher education.

Guidelines for Proposal (Abstract) Submission
E-mail your submission with the proposal attached as a Word document to lin@uindy.edu
Hard copies or CDs should be mailed to:
Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, Symposium Chair, University of Indianapolis, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46227, U.S.A.

Proposal or abstract should include:
1. Presenter information (name, mailing and e-mail addresses, phone & fax numbers)
2. Selected format of presentation (oral presentation, roundtable discussion, poster, or workshop)
3. Title and affiliation (institution or organization)
4. Proposal or abstract (in English, not to exceed 300 words)
5. Biographical data (in English, not to exceed 200 words)
6. Selected track, or four or five keywords
7. Indication of technological support needed
Deadline for submission of proposals: March 30, 2009

The Program
The program will commence at 6 p.m. with Opening Ceremony & Welcome Reception on November 22. Plenary and concurrent sessions, presentations, roundtable discussions, students’ forum, poster presentations, and featured keynote addresses will take place on November 23 and November 24 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Participants will enjoy session time shared at the Athens Cultural Center, adjacent to the University of Indianapolis-Athens and at the foot of the Acropolis. Field trips to visit some service-learning sites will be arranged. Pre- and/or post-conference excursions will be arranged on request. The preliminary program will be available on the symposium Web site on September 30, 2009.

Symposium Publication:
In conjunction with the first and second international symposia on service-learning, three books were published by the University of Indianapolis Press (l) Service-Learning: Intercommunity & Interdisciplinary Explorations (eds. Mac Bellner & John Pomery), 2005; (2) Service-Learning Paradigms: Intercommunity, Interdisciplinary & International (eds. Kenneth Colburn & Rona Newmark), 2007; and (3) Service-Learning in Higher Education: Paradigms and Challenges (eds. Mary Moore & Phylis Lan Lin), 2009. Plans for publishing the fourth volume in 2010 will be announced at the Symposium, and the paper submission guidelines will be posted at the Symposium Web site in March 2009.

For a full call for papers/abstracts and for further information on the symposium please visit http://www.uindy.edu/issl2009

Call for Proposals: Building Community Resiliency: Role of University Leadership

The 15th annual CUMU conference, hosted by Widener University from October 11-13, 2009 will focus on “Building community resiliency: The role of university leadership.”

The term “distressed” is frequently used in describing the urban environments in which many metropolitan universities are situated. This conference will explore how universities can promote a strengths-based approach to partnering with their communities to nurture community resiliency. Defined by Rolfe as the capacity “to respond effectively to significant adversity and risk,” community resiliency depends on social capital, as well as the interactions and engagement among community members to achieve common goals. This conference will provide a forum for faculty, students and administrators to share ideas, experiences and recommendations about the leadership role that metropolitan universities can assume in promoting community resiliency.

Please join us for this stimulating meeting that will include plenary sessions, paper presentations, special topic panels, roundtables, poster sessions and student presentations.

Suggested Topics

· Strengths-based approaches
· Educational infrastructure
· Environmental threats and remediation
· Wellness and public health
· Social capital
· Economic/business development
· Impact assessment

Proposal Submission Guidelines

Individuals may submit proposals for paper presentations, panel discussions, or poster displays. Consistent with the conference theme, the content should relate to institutional commitments by urban and metropolitan universities to drive progress in their regional communities. Complete information about proposal submissions can be viewed at:

http://www.cumuonline.org/conference

Proposals must be submitted electronically at http://www.widenerconferences.com/cumu.html

Submission deadline: April 17, 2009

Selection and Notification

The committee will evaluate your proposal for content, appropriateness, and interest. Notification will be sent by June 1, 2009. Conference presenters will be invited to submit papers to the editor of Metropolitan Universities journal for possible publication in a future journal issue.

Symposium on Service Learning & Civic Engagement: Call for Proposals

5th Annual Symposium on Service Learning & Civic Engagement
“Responding to the Challenges and Opportunities for Engagement”
Western Carolina University – Cullowhee, NC
June 11, 2009

The Symposium provides a forum for scholarly discussion of issues, perspectives, and best practices in service learning. It also facilitates the exchange of information and ideas on innovative and creative civic engagement strategies and programs. The proposal should be based on a service-learning/civic engagement program, project (including research), or course and may address the Symposium theme in various ways. It should deal with specific pedagogical issues or perspectives on student learning emerging from service-learning/civic engagement research or practice.

Proposals should be for 50-minute Seminar/Workshop Sessions or Poster Presentations.

Seminar/Workshop Sessions should focus on one at least of the following areas: Presentation of research findings, literature review and discussion, presentation on best practices in service learning/civic engagement, or “how-to” presentation on campus-community collaboration.

Proposal submission deadline: Friday, March 20

For further information, visit the Symposium Web site, http://www.wcu.edu/9818.asp, or contact Glenn Bowen, gbowen@email.wcu.edu or 828-227-7184.

Call for Proposals: International Partnership Institute

The First Annual International Partnership Institute will convene an international group of faculty, students, community partners and administrators who are similarly interested in advancing the understandings and practices of community-higher education partnerships. The Institute is organized around two goals: building a strong knowledge-base of partnership understandings and practices; and creating an international network to improve partnership development in higher education. The motivation for establishing the Institute is to address a critical gap in the broader field of community engagement in higher education by better understanding community-campus partnership development.

Partnerships must be at the center of all proposals submitted. To be sufficiently competitive, proposals that focus on program descriptions, program evaluations, or “how-to” strategies must describe how the topics discussed will advance the nature, quality, and/or quantity of partnerships.

Pure descriptions of community-higher education partnership programs are unlikely to be accepted unless they are accompanied by analysis that advances understanding and knowledge in the field.

Topics for presentations should address one or more of the following:
• Community partnerships and community impact;
• Implications of partnerships on pedagogy and instruction;
• Impact of partnerships on student learning;
• Implications of partnerships on faculty roles and rewards, and faculty development models;
• Disciplinary and interdisciplinary models for working in partnerships;
• Sustainability and partnerships; and
• Results of longitudinal studies.

PROPOSAL REVIEW
Each proposal will be sent to at least two individuals for peer review. The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:
• Topic (originality, statement of problem/issue, importance);
• Relevance and clarity (application to the study of partnerships);
• Contributions to advancing community-university partnership research (methodological
contributions, theoretical significance, etc.);
• Implications for further research, practice, policy; development of ideas;
• Written proposal (quality of writing, clarity, logic, organization);
• Audience appeal; and
• Opportunities for discussion and interaction.

DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS
To be considered, all proposals must be received via electronic submission by 5:00 p.m. (Pacific),
March 9th, 2009. All proposals will be peer reviewed by at least two reviewers, and notification of the results of review will be sent by the end of March.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
There is no limit to the number of proposals that may be submitted by an individual or group of
individuals. However, a proposal submission form must be completed for each proposal submitted.

Proposals must include:
1) Proposal Submission Form
2) A description of the presentation, including topic, format, and interactive elements (not to
exceed 500 words)
3) Abstract of presentation that will be included in the conference program (not to exceed 75
words)

The proposal submission form http://www.pdx.edu/media/r/f/RFP_writable_form.pdf
is a writable PDF. Completed proposals should be saved as a PDF using the author’s name (eg.,
Smith_Proposal.doc), and submitted as an attachment to an email sent to Anya Hankin at
ahankin@pdx.edu.