Faculty collaborate on community engagement initiatives

Nearly 100 people from 25 universities and organizations across Virginia and the region attended the VA Engage Fall Meeting on Oct. 19 at George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus, planned by Social Action and Integrative Learning, Mason’s Center for Community Engagement.

The VA Engage Network builds the capacity of Virginia colleges and universities to prepare students for lives of engaged citizenship and to mobilize community-campus partnerships that strengthen communities.

Each year, VA Engage hosts a fall meeting which allows faculty and staff to collaborate on community engagement initiatives across campuses. The free all-day event is held at different volunteer institutions across Virginia each year.

 “We were thrilled to be able to host this meeting at Mason, especially with the university’s renewed commitment to civic and community engagement,” said Patty Mathison, director of Mason’s Social Action and Integrative Learning (SAIL).

Mason’s Angie Hattery and students Sewit Beraki and Karlie Berry presented a keynote on “Race, gender and policing: in the classroom and beyond.” The event also included speakers from organizations such as the State Council on Higher Education (SCHEV), Virginia Campus Compact and a welcome from Mason Provost S.  David Wu.

Attendees could choose from several breakout sessions, including a faculty roundtable discussion about building more infrastructure and value for community based research on campus, a panel of community partners around building capacity and a session around developing a faculty and community fellows program.

This conference was made possible through generous support from Mason Undergraduate Education, University Life, the School of Integrative Studies (where SAIL is housed) and Social Action and Integrative Learning (SAIL).