Faculty Development

Upcoming Discussions and Workshops

What Does it Mean to Be an Engaged Scholar in the Present Time?聽
Friday, March 6, 12:00-1:15pm, McEwen Dining Engagement Space聽

Are you interested in thinking about聽how聽your research and teaching聽can聽more聽directly聽impact聽the community and society? Join Elena Kennedy, Faculty Fellow for Community-Based Learning, and Dillan Bono-Lunn, Faculty Fellow for Civic Engagement, for a lunch discussion-based workshop where faculty will reflect on their goals, exchange ideas, and explore meaningful opportunities for community-engaged research and teaching. Lunch is provided.聽

Community Engaged聽and聽Community-Based Learning Courses: Distinguishing the聽Models and聽Choosing the聽Best聽Fit
Wednesday, April 8, 12:00-1:15pm,聽McEwen Dining Engagement Space聽

Course-based engagement with the聽local聽community comes in many聽forms, from extended semester-long relationships with a given partner to class days or individual assignments in service to community needs. Join us for a practical conversation about what聽community聽engaged and聽community-based聽learning at Elon might look like, how the models are different from one another, and聽the benefits and limitations of each.聽For individuals who聽already聽teach聽community聽engaged courses,聽we鈥檒l聽also discuss when and how one might transition to a聽community-based model.聽Lunch is provided.聽

Essentials of Community-Based Learning Workshop聽聽
Tuesday, May 12, 8:30-11:30am,聽Moseley聽105A (Ward聽Octagon)

Are you interested in creating a more authentic learning experience in your course by engaging with community partners? Could the learning聽objectives聽for your course be enhanced through community engagement?聽Have you ever wondered how community-based learning works and why reflection is central to that pedagogy? This workshop is聽appropriate for聽faculty members who are developing a community-based course,聽designing a project or assignment that involves community聽engagement, or聽are curious about community-based learning pedagogies in general. The workshop will allow for interaction with experienced faculty, Kernodle Center for Civic Life and Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning staff members.聽Participants will receive a $75 gift card.聽

Celebration of Community-Based Learning聽聽
Wednesday, May 13,聽4:00pm,聽Location TBD
Join us as we celebrate a year of meaningful community-based learning. This gathering brings together faculty, students, and community partners to recognize the collaborations that connected classrooms with local needs, strengthened partnerships, and created real impact. Enjoy conversation, light refreshments, and stories from this year鈥檚 work as we look ahead to new opportunities.

Community Partnerships Initiative Grants

Through funding from the Frueauff Foundation, these mini-grants provide teams of faculty, students, and community agencies financial support to launch collaborative projects. These collaborative grants will support the development of new programs, increase the effectiveness of current programs, provide opportunities for innovative research and assessment that address the root causes of problems such as homelessness and domestic violence, and support community groups in strategic planning and problem solving. Contact Bob Frigo for more information.

for the Community Partnerships Initiative Faculty Grant Application

Applications for 2026-2027 Opportunities

Community-Based Learning Faculty Scholars Program

Faculty who are interested in developing or strengthening a Community-Based Learning (formerly Academic Service-Learning) course are encouraged to participate in the Community-Based Learning Faculty Scholars program. Scholars are expected to participate in the Essentials of Community-Based Learning Workshop in May and attend four follow-up luncheon meetings with the Faculty Fellow for Community-Based Learning, Elena Kennedy, during the next academic year. Six faculty members will be selected for the program and will receive a $1000 stipend.

Community-Based Learning Course Development Grants

The Kernodle Center for Civic Life and the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) offer Community-Based Learning Course Development Grants to support the evolution of existing courses across the disciplines into Community-Based Learning designated courses. Grants are awarded in the amount of $2,000 ($1,000 for the 2026-2027 academic year and $1,000 for the 2027-2028 academic year). The first year of the grant provides a stipend to compensate faculty for the work of incorporating鈥痗ommunity-based learning pedagogy into an existing course and applying for the鈥疌ommunity-Based Learning鈥痗ourse designation by February 15. The second year of the grant provides a stipend for launching the new鈥疌ommunity-Based Learning鈥痙esignated course and assessing its effectiveness. Grant recipients will meet as a cohort approximately once a semester during the two-year grant period.

Community-Based Learning Research Scholar Program

The Community-Based Learning Research Scholar Program is designed to assist an individual faculty member well-versed in the pedagogies of service-learning and community engagement and who would like to explore a community-based learning research project. The faculty member selected to serve as the Community-Based Learning Research Scholar will be required to meet regularly with the Faculty Fellow for Community-Based Learning, Elena Kennedy, and produce a report on specific outcomes of the research conducted. A $1500 stipend will be awarded to the recipient.