Student Trustee Jacob Miller part of panel discussion on best practices to promote civic engagement
Junior Endeavor Scholar and UMass Dartmouth Student Trustee Jacob Miller will take part in a panel discussion at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education's Civic Learning conference November 14, 2014, at 11 a.m., at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Jacob, of Fairhaven, MA, will speak during a panel discussion on best practices to promote civic engagement during the "Beyond Civics 101: Higher Education's New Civic Mission" conference.
In May 2014, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education adopted the nation's first statewide Policy on Civic Learning and called upon the Department of Higher Education to convene public higher education institutions to share best practices, research, methodology, pedagogy, and other information related to this matter. This work is fundamental to the mission of higher education. The conference will include a morning keynote and panel that will focus on civic learning on the national and state level, while the afternoon breakout sessions will focus on campus-level civic learning activities and practices.
Also taking part in the panel with Jacob will be Bristol Community College Professor Trisha Cloutier and Dr. Ben Taylor of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The panel will be moderated by UMass Boston's Dr. John Saltmarsh, who serves as Director of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education.
Jacob Miller was recently elected by his peers as Student Trustee to serve on the University of Massachusetts Board Of Trustees. Through his active involvement in civic engagement initiatives, Jacob has played an integral role in the restoration of Tonnessen Square Park in New Bedford, establishment of the New Bedford Seaport Cultural District by the Massachusetts Cultural Council Board, development of a service-learning curriculum for the Dartmouth Public School system, and creation of a new student meal plan which includes three downtown New Bedford eateries. While serving as a legislative intern for Senator Mark Montigny, Jacob worked diligently to help pass healthcare legislation which made it easier for students to remain with their less-expensive plans under the state's Health Connector.