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Civic engagement takes many forms, including service, advocacy, awareness-raising, electoral participation, community-building, activism, and fundraising (among others). Students at Pacific participate in civic engagement activities as part of courses, as individual community members, and with their peers (as a team, club, or residence hall group). The MCCE can help you determine which of these models will meet your needs and can help you connect with students, faculty, or staff appropriate for the task. Read on for a brief overview and a "Who's Who" guide to campus contacts for next steps.
Academic Civic Engagement:
Faculty integrate a civic engagement component into their course and require students to participate. Some ways in which they structure civic learning include:
- Site-based Civic Engagement: An entire class may serve one organization together, or individual students could seek out different organizations for placement. Duration is typically one semester (14-16 weeks) and students may have specific course requirements (such as number of hours) and learning objectives to fulfill.
- Problem-Based Civic Engagement: Students focus on a specific project, much like consultants. Community partners identify a particular need (e.g. website work, mural design, or invasive species removal plan) and students draw from their academic knowledge to complete the task. The project could be for a course or independent study.
- Community-Based Research: Working with community partners on an identified need, students conduct research, evaluation, or assessment projects drawing from the research methodologies of their discipline. Project duration depends on the research question and could carry through multiple terms and sets of students.
- Special Projects: Students approach an organization to offer a specific skill (e.g. teaching nutrition, or building a garden), or organizations identify a need and recruit skilled students. The project may be outside of what the organization typically offers, but is in line with the mission.
To explore opportunities to connect with Civic Engagement classes, email Stephanie Stokamer at stok@pacificu.edu.
Co-curricular Civic Engagement:
Individual students and student groups volunteer or otherwise participate in civic action just like any other community member. Volunteer work or involvement is not connected to academic courses and could be short-term or require a longer-term commitment. To share upcoming opportunities with the Pacific community, visit our Share an Event page, or email Morgan Knapp at morganknapp@pacificu.edu for support in reaching a specific group or demographic.
Internship and Practicum Placements:
Many students have internship and practicum placement requirements as part of their program, and the current generation of students is highly motivated to find positions in organizations that align with their values. Student recruitment for opportunities of this nature are overseen by Academic and Career Advising, which hosts annual Fall and Spring Work & Service Fairs. To learn more, contact Salena Garver at salenag@pacificu.edu or check-out Handshake, the same online service used by employers to recruit Pacific students. Handshake allows partners to create and modify their own profile and position descriptions, while students can use key word searches and other tools to find positions.
Additional Engagement Opportunities
Pacific University values our diverse range of connections to community organizations across the university and on all of our campuses. Because Pacific is a large university with many different academic programs and a diverse student body, we have many different kinds of partnerships around the community. Partnerships can be somewhat transactional in nature, with an exchange of goods or resources like volunteer labor to accomplish a specific task. They can also be deeply transformative, with both the university and our partners intertwined in ways that change both organizations (and the students and personnel within them). Whatever it is that you want to do with Pacific, we can try to help you find the right office. Staff across the university have collaborated to put together this list of offices and functions related to community partnerships:
Who’s Who at Pacific University: A Guide for Community Partners
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If you want to: |
Contact & Timing Notes: |
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Recruit Pacific students for volunteer opportunities/advocacy/political engagement/awareness-raising, and other forms of civic engagement. Share general information about your organization or volunteer opportunities Work with faculty to develop an ongoing academic/community-based partnership or learn more about Pacific’s undergraduate academic requirement for civic engagement Troubleshoot issues related to current civic engagement partnerships Connect with students who can provide support for CE courses or collaborate/lead projects Recognize students, faculty, staff, or other community partners at our Community Collaboration Celebration |
Stephanie Stokamer, Director of Applied & Experiential Learning, at stok@pacificu.edu or 503-352-1571 Contact me:
*Note: Student availability decreases significantly at Thanksgiving break and after for the Fall semester and in early May for the Spring semester. |
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Connect with students to collaborate/lead community sustainability projects Work with faculty to develop an ongoing academic/community-based partnership on sustainability Engage students (or faculty/staff) in service opportunities; recruit Pacific students for volunteer opportunities related to sustainability Share general information about your organization or volunteer opportunities related to sustainability Share community-based research or internship opportunities with a sustainability focus Connect or share opportunities related to food, farming, or food insecurity |
Ramona Ilea, Director of the Center for a Sustainable Society, at ramona.ilea@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2760 Contact me: - Internships:
- Volunteer Opportunities:
- Classroom Engagement/Research/Visits:
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Hire a student as an intern (ongoing; credit on a semester basis) Majors and minors required internships or field experiences are: Applied Sustainability, Art & Design, Editing & Publishing, Sports Leadership & Management, Sports Communication Majors and minors with optional internships or field experiences are: Applied Theatre, Theatre, Arts Administration and Advocacy, Film & Video, Graphic Design, Journalism, Multimedia, Japanese, Spanish, Kinesiology |
Heidi Wright, Internship Coordinator, at heidi.wright@pacificu.edu or 503-352-3114 |
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Actively seek internship or job placement opportunities for our Business students through community outreach efforts. Coach students through 1:1 engagements and “Career Readiness” Professional Development Programming workshops and activities. Business leaders and Pacific Alumni are encouraged to: - Share business expertise with students by presenting to a class - Become a “Professor for a Day” - Join a Discussion Panel - Participate in our “Corporate Landscape Tour” - Contact the College of Business to build a relationship with us! |
Vacant, Placement Services College of Business, at Business@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2236 Interim Contact: Dean Jennifer Yruegas, at jennifer.yruegas@pacificu.edu |
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Supervise undergraduate Public Health student(s) for a practicum (at least 70 field hours, Fall or Spring semester) or internship (flexible number of hours). Supervise undergraduate Criminal Justice, Law & Society student(s) for a practicum (at least 70 field hours, Fall or Spring) or internship (flexible number of hours) |
Rose Dahl, Professional Practicum Coordinator, at rdahl@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2012 Project/activity descriptions and site availability are welcome anytime! - We typically finalize practicum placements one semester in advance and initiate practicum placements 9 months in advance.*
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Supervise/host a student from the Bachelor of Social Work program (BSW). Supervise/host a student from the master of social work program (MSW). |
Lorrie Breshears, Interim Director of Field Education - BSW program and MSW program (students in Forest Grove & Eugene), at lbreshears@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2088 (or 208-841-8256) |
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Salena Garver, Community Service Work-Study Coordinator, Employer Relations Coordinator, Community Relations Coordinator at salenag@pacificu.edu or 503-352-3182 Create a free employer account on Handshake to post positions for students and recent alums.
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Learn about the Advantage Scholars Program: Recruit Pacific undergraduate students for volunteer/internship/observation/job opportunities related to health professions |
Mike Shingle, Director of Academic & Career Advising Center, at mike.shingle@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2246 |
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Supervise student teachers in the field; host student teachers, interns, or practicum teachers in pre-K-12 classrooms; develop pathways for students and school district personnel to obtain teacher licensure; recruit Pacific students for pre-K-12 teaching job opportunities |
School of Learning & Teaching Placement Resources Website Forest Grove: Dr. Kate Eckert, School & Community Partnership Coordinator, School of Learning & Teaching Forest Grove Campus, at keckert@pacificu.edu Eugene: Lisa Fragala, School & Community Partnership Coordinator, School of Learning & Teaching Eugene Campus, at fragalal@pacificu.edu |
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Get minor funding support for your work with Pacific University students through the Partners in Civic Engagement Mini-Grant |
See: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ri6mbz-J5ItFzc8WLYDLggZYPcxGYKq34qbNaa26xZQ/edit |
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Raise money from a community partner or sell sponsorship for something at Pacific University |
Amy Tracewell, Corporate and Foundation Relations in University Advancement, at amy.tracewell@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2838 |
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Supervise a Speech Language Pathology student or inquire about community services |
Caitlin Fitzgerald, Director of Clinical Education, School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, at caitlinf@pacificu.edu or 503-352-1596 |
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Supervise a student from one of Pacific’s other graduate/professional health profession programs. |
Brandy Pestka, Chair of the College of Health Professions Clinical Coordinators Committee, at brandypestka@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2675 |
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Provide eye care services and glasses to underserved/uninsured people in the community. Doctors of Optometry oversee optometry student interns to provide eye care in collaboration with community partners. Pre-Optometry or students interested in the field of optometry are welcome to volunteer; learn more about the Pacific EyeVan and other opportunities here. |
Dr. Rebecca Chown, Director of Community Outreach, at bchown@pacificu.edu or 503-352-3059 Gabriela Solan, Director of Clinical Operations, at gsolan@pacificu.edu or 503-352-3068 |
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Learn about the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility; Create partnerships to explore shared responsibility for creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where we can prosper.
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Pierre V. Morton, Vice President of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility at mortonp@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2824 Email the OEDIA team at oedi@contact.pacificu.edu |
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Last updated Fall 2023. If you would like to make a correction/edit to this list or notice something inaccurate, please contact the MCCE. |