Staff share experiences in community-engaged work
By Daniel Aloi
A panel on community partnerships, from left: Jeff Godowski, assistant dean of Flora Rose House; Ansley Jemison, adviser for New York State Opportunity Programs; and Joyce Muchan ’97, assistant director for student development at the Public Service Center.
A panel on community partnerships, from left: Jeff Godowski, assistant dean of Flora Rose House; Ansley Jemison, adviser for New York State Opportunity Programs; and Joyce Muchan ’97, assistant director for student development at the Public Service Center.

Cornell staff members from across campus took part in the second Community Engagement Staff Institute, Jan. 7 in the Biotechnology Building.

The biennial event, organized by the Cornell Public Service Center (PSC) and the Office of Engagement Initiatives, is for staff working with students and faculty involved in community-engaged learning. More than 70 staff members from Student and Campus Life and various units, schools and colleges attended.

“Many times, students will remember those activities that took place outside of the classroom as being more fundamental to forming who they are and their career options and their identities than necessarily a course that they took,” said Katherine McComas, vice provost for engagement and land-grant affairs. “In all cases, how you encourage students to work with and learn from community members is also important, to ensure that they’re having a positive impact as they learn.”

Read the full story in the Cornell Chronicle.