“A main goal of OVCS is to support the College’s mission ‘to educate students to put the liberal arts into action in a global society,’” said Tracee Reiser, Associate Dean for community learning and Director of Connecticut College’s Office of Community Learning, known as OVCS. The Office engages in three major activities to meet its goal. First, it builds strong working relationships with people and organizations in New London to strengthen nearby communities. Second, to advising, orientation and training students on how to best work in the community, OVCS connects students to internship, community learning and work-study opportunities available. OVCS staff also work with faculty members to connect them with local organizations and projects that are relevant to their course content and research areas. Third, it works with the college and organizations to develop enrichment programs on campus and in the New London community.
In the fall of 2015, OVCS organized a luncheon for community members, leaders of New London organizations and Connecticut College faculty, staff and students. At the luncheon, the organizations discussed their priorities for the academic year and how Connecticut College students could best collaborate with them on their initiatives. Community leaders also spoke with professors about the new Pathways curriculum, which could draw more connections between the classroom and the New London community. The luncheon was an important forum for communication and sustainable partnerships.
OVCS collaborates with over 50 organizations in the greater New London area. Organizations represent a range of areas: healthcare (Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, Community Health Center, Inc., Sound Community Services and United Cerebral Palsy); youth advocacy (Higher Edge, New London Youth Affairs and Hearing Youth Voices) and economic development (Office of Development and Planning in New London City Hall and Spark Makerspace). All provide valuable contributions to the New London community. “Although small, New London is a city with a broad range of community learning opportunities,” said Reiser.
OVCS works with faculty and local professionals to provide students with innovative educational opportunities in experiential settings and real-world contexts. “We want students to leave Connecticut College with the knowledge and skill sets to fulfill their own potential and to be active engaged citizens working with others towards creating a more just and sustainable world,” said Reiser. Students have opportunities to expand learning and gain practical skills when their courses incorporate community learning. Between ten to 15 courses per semester incorporate community learning, such as Professor Wollensak’s design course, which collaborated with the local college access and success program, Higher Edge.
When collaborating with organizations, students build on their work ethics, cross-cultural competencies, project/ time management skills, capacity to work with those of diverse backgrounds and a sense of efficacy, asserted Reiser. Furthermore, she said, “Students benefit from interacting with people of varying ages. They connect to the wisdom of the elders and the joy and honesty of children and youth. Often the college students will return to campus describing what they learned and how they had such fun.”
As part of the Expanded Learning Time (ELT) initiative at C.B. Jennings Elementary School, Connecticut College tutors/mentors work with 50 second-grade students on academic content areas and innovative hand-on projects. Projects include building marshmallow towers, creating submarines and making homemade ice cream. OVCS continues to partner with other New London schools, including Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School and the New London Science and Technology Magnet High School, to develop programs such as Kids Books and Athletics (KBA) and ENRICH.
OVCS also supports Connecticut College students with their own creative ideas. For example, OVCS and the Theater department helped Gabrielle Schlein ’16 bring seven students from Jackson Middle School’s Theater Club to Connecticut College’s main stage production Elephant’s Graveyard in the fall. The Office co-sponsored another artistic event, “Dancing for Degrees,” a dancing competition based on Dancing with the Stars, where local community leaders are paired with local high school and college students. This is Higher Edge’s signature fundraising event. Higher Edge, a New London-based nonprofit that guides low-income and first generation students through enrollment, retention and graduation from college by providing the support and resources needed for success. OVCS works with Higher Edge and also places college student interns at Higher Edge.
OVCS’s projects benefit the college campus and New London community alike. This year, OVCS connected Connecticut College to the “One Book One Region” initiative. The initative, based on the idea of expanding a small book club into a community-wide events that seeks to bring a community together to discuss ideas, broadening the appreciation of reading and breaking down barriers among community members.
OVCS and other campus centers such as the President’s Office, Dean of the College, the Center for the Comparative Study of Race & Ethnicity and the Communications Office has planned a series of events, both on campus and within the community, related Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption,” which addresses injustice in the criminal justice system. As part of the initiative, Scott Lewis, an innocent individual sentenced to 120 years in prison for a double murder in New Haven, CT, shared the story of his “Long, Hard Road to Innocence” with the college community last week. Students, staff, faculty and community members filled Ernst Common Room and were captivated by the presentation. The College’s website has a section, One Book, One Region, which lists a range of events leading up to Stevenson’s speech on April 4, 2016. This event will also be the first Distinguished Lecture in a new annual series initiated by President Bergeron.
OVCS works in partnership with students, the campus and the New London community. “We make connections and develop exciting opportunities to engage in meaningful ways,” Reiser confirmed. To get involved through OVCS, students can make an appointment with an OVCS Advisor through CamelLink. They will be happy they did. •
