Position
Academic Background
Sample Courses   
Teaching Philosophy
Research & Interests   
Notable Academic Appointments & Awards
Publication Highlights   
Selected Scholarly Presentations

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• Assistant Professor of Public and Community Service Studies
• Director, Global Studies Program

Academic Background        

• University of Minnesota, Ph.D. in Education, 2005
• University of Minnesota, M.P.A. from the Humphrey Institute, 1999
• Providence College, B.A. in Politcal Science, 1996

• Introduction to Global Studies
• Global Studies Capstone Seminar
• Introduction to Service in Democratic Communities
  

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching is based upon my belief that people learn best through their own experiences.  Learning about global studies or public service, then, like mastering any other craft, is done through practice.

Building on a tradition embodied by the writings of people such as Paolo Freire, Jane Addams, and John Dewey, educators must give students the opportunity to responsibly respond to actual experiences in what we are trying to teach-in the case of global studies, for instance, this would be the social, economic, cultural, and political interdependence of the world.  Thus, education is engaged, active, and experiential. 

Education in this context is also a democratic act.  This concept of education was summed up by Myles Horton, long-time community educator who founded the Highlander Folk School, who said, "When you believe in a democratic society, you provide a setting for education that is democratic."  This requires an unbending trust in a process that values students' backgrounds, talents, and voices.

Students in my courses have worked on projects that range from developing a local sustainable agriculture network, to advocating for changes to the US citizenship exam, to creating a language and cultural exchange with Latino immigrants.  In all of this work, my role as an educator is to create the right kind of safe and free space where authentic learning can occur.  I also constantly try to put learning in a broader context, helping students become critical, democratic citizens. 

But students must be at the center of this effort.  The students in my global studies or public and community service studies are pioneers with fresh ideas, lots of energy, and a good deal of experience.  As an educator I continually try to harness this passion through good questions, important readings, and actual experiences to make sure students have opportunities to use their knowledge, skills, and experiences to build a vibrant, democratic world initially in my courses, and then beyond.  

Research & Interests

• Civic education
• Community-based learning 
• Youth political engagement  
• Global citizenship
  

Notable Academic Appointments and Awards

• Associate, Kettering Foundation, 2005-Present
• Director, Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute, Miami University, 2006-2008
• Director, Raise Your Voice Campaign, Campus Compact, 2002-2004
• John Glenn Scholar in Service-Learning, Rising Scholar Award, 2005

Publication Highlights

• "Leadership Education and the Revitalization of Public Life" (with Peggy Shaffer).  In Barbara Jacoby (Ed.), Civic Engagement in Higher Education.   San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, forthcoming.
• "Global Perspectives and the Reframing of Service-Learning: New Lines of Inquiry" (with John Saltmarsh). In Robert Bringle, Julie A. Hatcher, & Steven G. Jones (Eds.), International Service Learning: Conceptual Frameworks and Research.   Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, forthcoming.
• "Students Co-Creating an Engaged Academy" (with Eric Fretz).  In Hiram E. Fitzgerald et al. (Eds.). Handbook of Engaged Scholarship: Contemporary Landscapes, Future Directions: Volume I: Institutional Change.   East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, forthcoming. 
• "Student Political Engagement and the Renewal of Democracy" (with Elizabeth Hollander).  Journal of College and Character, September 2008.
• Why Community Matters: Connecting Education with Civic Life.  Albany: SUNY Press, 2007.
• Students as Colleagues: Expanding the Circle of Service-Learning Leadership. Co-Editor (with Edward Zlokowski & James Williams), Campus Compact, 2006
• "Catalyzing Political Engagement:  Lessons for Civic Educators from the Voices of Students" (with Christopher Drury and Richard M. Battistoni).   Journal of Political Science Education.   Volume 3, Issue 3, pp. 313-329, Fall 2006.
• "Problem-Solving with Local Communities: Using University-Community-School Partnerships and Place-Based Education to Help Revitalize Urban America" (with Ira Harkavy)  Democracy and Education, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 16-23, 2006.
  

Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities

• "Leadership Education and the Revitalization of Democracy"Lead Conference Organizer for National Symposium at Miami University, May 28-May 30, 2008.
• "Students as Colleagues."  Workshop at Denver Campus Compact Anniversary Meeting on Sustaining Engagement, Denver, Colorado, February 15, 2008 (with Stephanie Lee, Stephanie Raill, and Angela VanHorn).
• "Why Community Matters: Connecting Leadership Education and Civic Life."  Conversation with Author at International Leadership Association Annual Global Conference, Vancouver, Canada, November 3, 2007.
• "Acting Locally in a Flat World: Global Citizenship and the Democratic Promise of Service-Learning." Paper Presentation at Annual International Service-Learning Research Conference, Portland, OR, October 14, 2006 (with Richard Battistoni).
• "Acting Globally through Local Community Engagement."  Workshop at Bonner Foundation Global Summit, Defiance College, June 1, 2006 (with Ross Meyer).
• "Place Matters: A Neighborhood Approach to Learning, Community, and Democracy."  Keynote Speech at Neighborhood Learning Community West Side Conference, St. Paul, Minnesota, May 1, 2006.
  

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