Walk the Talk
AAC&U Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal & Social Responsibility
In January 2007, Saint Mary’s was selected by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) as one of 18 institutions to participate in a two-year project aimed at promoting personal and social responsibility among undergraduates. Our project Walk the Talk will engage the campus in dialogue and action to take us to the next level of embodying the themes of civic engagement and social justice in the liberal arts, Lasallian and Catholic context. The activities of the grant follow three themes:
Community Leadership & Student Engagement
The goal for this aspect of Walk the Talk is to extend the Chat Rooms that were first initiated through the Bringing Theory to Practice Grant. A particular focus will be to engage students in naming and creating the physical and social atmosphere in which they live and learn. Walk the Talk will host two training retreats for dialogue facilitators (facilitated by professional trainers) and four campus dialogues. The grant also includes a flexible fund that will respond to student-led initiatives that emerge from the dialogues.
Curriculum Development
Walk the Talk will enable the strengthening of pre-existing social justice courses and the initiation of new ones. Specifically, the grant will support the development of six new Janterm social justice service-learning courses, six new community-based research courses, and ten social justice courses (as defined by the Social Justice Coordinating Committee). These courses will strengthen home departments and the Justice and Community Minor. The grant also supports costs associated with these new courses, including three student leaders who will provide support to the service-learning and community-based research courses.
Institutional Strategies & Assessment
The Core Commitments project includes administration of the AAC&U’s assessment of students’ personal and social responsibility. Walk the Talk will also engage the campus in two professional development and consulting activities that will advance our efforts of social justice and civic engagement. Members of the national DEEP research team (Designing Effective Educational Programs) will meet with a variety of campus stakeholders. Later in the grant process, a representative of the Carnegie Foundation will provide information about the Engaged Campus designation and advise Saint Mary’s about how to proceed toward receiving this designation.
