Bringing It

Bringing It #14: New Grantees, Honors, and Partnerships

April 25, 2019

Dear friends,

We’re delighted this week to announce our four initial AMP Grant awardees. You may remember that AMP Grants are available to institutions that have already received funding from BTtoP for activities that amplify, disseminate, and increase the public reach of their previous work. The grants range from $500 to $3000, and they are awarded on a rolling basis.

We’re excited to announce the first wave of AMP Grant awardees:

  • Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts will partner with Central European University and Bard College Berlin on “The State of, and, or Education.” Building on a previous BTtoP Civic Seminar grant, this project will expand a multi-institutional network to facilitate public debate and reforms on the role of education in vulnerable democracies.
  • The College of the Canyons will partner with California State University, Los Angeles and University of La Verne on “Now is the Time to Create a Crucible Moment: Addressing the Civic Empowerment Gap Among California’s Community Colleges.” Building on an earlier Seminar Grant, these institutions will lead professional development opportunities and create action plans aimed at reducing the “civic empowerment gap” among southern California’s community colleges.
  • Eastern Michigan University will partner with Washtenaw Community College on “Bridging Our Divides: Engaging our Local Campuses and Community in Dialogues about Signature Work.” Building off a previous Campus Dialogue Grant, EMU and WCC will offer intersectoral workshops on developing and institutionalizing signature work.
  • Hostos Community College will partner with Roots and Action on “The Eugenio María de Hostos Drama in Education (DiE) Institute: Using Theater to Enhance Teaching.” Building on an earlier Campus Dialogue Grant, Hostos Community College and Roots and Action will train educators and community organizers in Drama in Education pedagogy, which infuses creativity and performance with dialogues about community building and social change.

If you have done BTtoP-supported projects, we encourage you to look at the RFP for the AMP Grants and consider applying for support to extend the public reach of the important work you’ve done.

BTtoP Co-Founder Sally Engelhard Pingree Honored With 2019 Patrick Healy, S.J. Award

We’d like to offer our warmest congratulations to BTtoP co-founder, Sally Engelhard Pingree, on being awarded the 2019 Patrick Healy, S.J. Award by the Georgetown University Alumni Association. The Patrick Healy Award honors an individual who is not an alumnus/a of Georgetown, but whose achievements and record of service to the University exemplify the ideals and traditions of Georgetown. Along with BTtoP, Sally helped start Georgetown’s Engelhard Project in 2005. The project infuses the study and practice of well-being into courses throughout the Georgetown curriculum, and it has evolved to include two grants programs and a faculty conversation series on teaching. Brava, Sally!

What We’re Learning From Our Partners: Ashoka U

We love highlighting the work of our partners.  This week, we’d like to introduce you to Ashoka U. Founded in 2008 as an initiative of Ashoka, the global social-innovation movement, Ashoka U advocates changemaking both as an educational framework and as a strategy for institutional change in higher education. They have worked with over 500 colleges and universities in 50 countries through a variety of programs, including the annual Ashoka U Exchange, cohort courses on the Ashoka U Commons, the designation of institutions as Ashoka U Changemaker Campuses, and Ashoka U #Millions of Changemakers. Through such work, Ashoka U seeks to prepare students for lives and careers of changemaking through the development of key capacities like empathy, collaboration, creative problem-solving, and systems thinking.

Ashoka U Logo with Tree

Ashoka U’s values and programs resonate deeply with BTtoP’s goal of encouraging colleges and universities to foster flourishing, civically-minded learners who will leave campus as change agents for the public good. We admire the innovative work happening at Ashoka U and their commitment to social justice and widespread impact, and we look forward to opportunities to learn from and work with them.

With warmest appreciation,

Caitlin, Mercedes, and David