Bringing It #10: Grants We’re Giving Out, Things We’ve Written, and Things We’re Reading
Dear friends,
We hope this finds you well and—if you’re huddled in the Northeast/Midwest like us—not too cold. Spring can’t come too soon. Meanwhile here’s some news and reminders about BTtoP grant programs, some stuff we’ve written, and a really helpful research report.
What We’ve Been Up To
AMP Grants Now Open
We recently issued an RFP for a new grant opportunity: Amplifying, Disseminating, and Increasing the Public Reach of Research and Practice (AMP) Grants. These will offer between $500 and $3,000 for activities that increase the public reach of work that previously received grant funding from BTtoP. AMP grants may be used to support a range of activities, including campus-to-campus consulting visits, multi-campus convenings, public writing, and the release of digital and media products. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis starting March 1, 2019, with award announcements beginning on April 1, 2019.
Special Thanks to Our Community for Their Interest in Our MIG Grants
We would like to thank everyone who applied for our Multi-Institutional Innovation (MIG) Grants. With awards of up to $7,000, these grants will fund multi-institutional collaborations that use innovative practices, programs, policies, or research to advance BTtoP’s commitments to educating the whole student, equity and inclusion, and creative innovation. We were excited by the strength and volume of the proposals we received–over ninety in total, far more than we expected. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and commitment!
Have You Read Our Newly Released Winter Newsletter?
Our Winter Newsletter is now available, featuring pieces from a few of our colleagues at Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) and students from the MA in Learning, Design & Technology at Georgetown University, as well as a framing column from Caitlin and an afterword by David. The newsletter explores the positive and negative implications of technology and innovation to higher education. You can read the full issue here.
David Scobey is Published in The Chronicle of Higher Education 2019 Trends Report
David’s article, “The Path Across America’s Divide Starts at Its Colleges,” was recently published in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2019 Trends Report. He discusses the implications of the current climate of political and social polarization for higher education, and he calls for academic institutions to work in and across polarized communities, recognizing “similarities, differences, and conflicts that campuses and communities share” while “undertaking the hard work of confronting them together.” To read the full article, visit here.
David Scobey Hosts Webinar in Partnership with SUNY Empire State College
On February 11th, as part of SUNY Empire State College’s “Revisioning Adult Higher Education” series, David helped to lead a webinar entitled, “The Crossroads of Change: Why Adult Learners are So Important to the Future of Higher Education (and Vice Versa).” The webinar focused on the importance of non-traditional and adult learners to change and innovation in higher education. The webinar is available here. For the accompanying PowerPoint Presentation, visit: https://p.widencdn.net/ffsnwb/ScobeyWebinar021119_FINAL2ColorChanges.
What We’re Reading
As you know, Bringing Theory to Practice has long had an interest in student well-being and its connection to both college learning and educational equity. We’re in the process of developing a project on these themes. Our friends at the Network for Improvement and Innovation in College Health pointed us to a fabulous report, “Higher Education as Catalysts: Building a Culture of Health on Campus and in Communities,” authored by Sarena Seifer and issued last year by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It’s as good an introduction to the range of health and wellness issues for colleges and their communities as we’ve seen, and it’s full of best-practice stories. Enjoy!
Winter notwithstanding, we are warmed and inspired by the work you do.
With thanks,
Caitlin, Mercedes, and David