Service Rally takes place at Battleship Cove today; Civic Engagement Summit takes place tomorrow at Woodland Commons
UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Divina Grossman will offer welcome remarks at UMass Dartmouth's Service Showcase today Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 5 p.m. at the Fall River Marine Museum. The Showcase will celebrate the SouthCoast's dedication to service and recognize volunteer superstars and local AmeriCorps members. Prior to the showcase students will take part in a community service project at 3-4:30 p.m. at Battleship Cove in Fall River.
UMass Dartmouth's Dr. Robert Lawrence Civic Engagement Summit will take place tomorrow, Friday, April 17, 2015, 8am-12pm, which will include a discussion on the power of civic engagement in building social capital, expanding economic opportunities, and strengthening our communities. The University welcomes two special keynote speakers for the Summit this year:
- Russell Krumnow is the Managing Director of Opportunity Nation. He guides the strategy for Opportunity Nation's diverse mix of initiatives including coalition engagement, events, policy advocacy, and grassroots initiatives. He also leads the campaign's work on the Opportunity Index, regularly presenting it to diverse audiences as a tool to drive positive change in communities and serve as an innovative frame for the opportunity movement in America.
- Wendy Spencer serves as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). CNCS is a federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and other programs. Together these programs engage more than five million Americans in service and volunteering to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement.
In the past year, UMass Dartmouth students have dedicated 201,547 hours of community service at a value of $5.4 million to the community. More than 100 UMass Dartmouth faculty members taught more than 200 service-learning classes this past academic year that exposed close to 5,000 students to service-learning, taking part in projects that benefit our community.
UMass Dartmouth distinguishes itself as a vibrant, public research university dedicated to engaged learning and innovative research resulting in personal and lifelong student success. The University serves as an intellectual catalyst for economic, social, and cultural transformation on a global, national, and regional scale.