Lead Contacts     |     Issue Focus     |     Pilot Project Plan     |     Timeline     |     Progress Reports

 

 

Lead Contacts

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• Gill Bosonetto, Pilot Project Coordinator, LifeWorks, MHC, gbosonetto@mhc.edu, 828-689-1655
• Laurie Pedersen, Professor of Sociology, MHC, lpedersen@mhc.edu
• Craig Goforth, Madison County School Board & Dean of Student Life, MHC, cgoforth@mhc.edu

 

Issue Focus

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• Children, Youth and Family

• Education

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Madison County High School Student Retention & Madison County Community Support Services

 

 

Progress Reports

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• Course Implementation Profile
• Semi-Annual Progress Reports due dates
  • April 1, 2009 Progress Report — May 2009 Progress Report.docx
  • August 15, 2009 Progress Report
  • December 15, 2009 Progress Report
  • June 1, 2010 Progress Report
• CBR Reports or Related Documents
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Pilot Project Plan

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1. Background

 

Recently, MHC was awarded a grant from the Appalachian Colleges and Community Economic Development Project to fund community-based research into economic development issues in Madison County and development of programs in response. The research and recommendations were performed by student interns with the guidance and supervision of an interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff, and one or more community partners over the summer of 2007 and 2008.  Planning and reporting activities progressed throughout the period beginning in Fall 2006 and ending Fall 2008.  MHC’s Center for Academic Research and Assessment (CARA) was at the center of the project’s administration and implementation on campus.  Gill Bosonetto at LifeWorks was central to the coordination of the 4 faculty, 2 staff and 7 students involved, as well as implementation of the grant objectives and requirements. This was considered a highly successful and rewarding project for the students, faculty and staff, and community organizations involved.  Community partners included Mountain BizWorks, Madison Arts Council, Handmade in America, Madison Farms, Madison County Agricultural Extension Office, and Marshall High Studios, among others. Additional internships and service learning placements have grown out of the collaboration with these partners. The Bonner Freshmen Fall Retreat included a visit to one of the grant partners’ restaurant in Marshall, where members of the arts community welcomed them with a free performance of music and song, and cultural orientation to the county. We expect to base the pilot LPO.org Initiative on the model established with the ACCEDP grant.

 

In addition, LifeWorks has established relationships with over 250 non-profit community partners, as well as for-profit business organizations in the area, and supports community service-learning placements and internships for over 300 students per year.  LifeWorks coordinates the activities of over 150 students engaged in service-learning and community-placed work study and/or internships per semester.

 

The LPO.org Initiative would help solidify some of the relationships we have with local partners, and would directly support classroom learning in one or more academic courses over the next year and beyond. It would also increase the engagement of students across campus in local issues research and planning, and would support faculty engagement in community-based or connected programs or projects. The Initiative would also help the LifeWorks department support both faculty and students in these efforts, and help increase the visibility of the department as a resource for both.

 

2. Student Engagement

 

Depending on the needs of faculty and the community partners involved, the students may be selected from course or major enrollment, or through a competitive application process, coordinated by the LifeWorks department.

 

These students may or may not be Bonner Scholars. They would be recruited late Fall 2008 and trained in Spring 2009. Training will occur through direct contact with Faculty and community partners, as during normal academic internships, and through resources recommended by the Bonner Foundation. Students will also be trained in classes supervised by Ms. Laurie Pedersen. Support for students will be provided by faculty and LifeWorks staff, similar to support given the students engaged in the ACCEDP grant program, and to students engaged in service learning community placements.

 

Students will also participate in conferences and web-based forums to increase their capacity to do the work and achieve learning goals. Participation in conference calls with the Bonner Foundation representatives may also be part of their orientation and training.

 

3. Faculty Engagement

 

Ms. Laurie Pedersen, Sociology of the Family, Spring 09. Resume attached. Ms. Pedersen has participated in numerous grant-funded programs, and has taught Sociology and related subjects for over 10 years at MHC. She is also a coordinator in the LAA Program at MHC.  Pedersen would implement a project in her Sociology of the Family course in Spring 2009 to do a survey/needs assessment of family and youth services in Madison County.  She would supervise an intern to assist in this class project.  Follow-up may include working with local commissioners on family and youth policy at the county level.  This might occur in Fall 09 in another course (perhaps a new social policy course) or in Spring 10 in the Sociology of the Family course."

 

Mr. Craig Goforth, Dean of Students and Criminal Science Instructor, Member Madison County Schools Board. Resume attached. Goforth would supervise an intern doing research on high school drop-out rates, a research need already identified by the Madison School board of which he is an active member.

 

Gill Bosonetto, Director of Career Development, LifeWorks.

 

4. Deliberative Democracy Forum

 

As the research and community partnership develops and indicates, we will organize and coordinate a mini-forum or talk-back session on family and youth issues in Madison County, at MHC or in Marshall. A similar event was held during implementation of the ACCEDP grant and Serve & Learn-funded LifeWorks initiatives in years past. This would take place either towards the end of Spring 09 or in the Fall 09.

 

5. Editorial/Advisory Board 

 

The LPO.orgrg Initiative would be coordinated by Gill Bosonetto, LifeWorks department, with the assistance of Cindy Frost, Bonner Scholar Coordinator, Travis Proffitt, Service Learning Field Coordinator, and our interim LifeWorks director, Lisa Wachtman. 

 

Other on-campus organizations that would be consulted and may be used are CARA, the Sociology, Social Work, and Education Departments, and any other interested faculty or staff. 

 

An advisory board representing these on-campus departments and community partners such as the local school board, the Madison County DSS, local area churches, My Sister’s Place, and other family service groups, would be organized and consulted on a regular basis, either as a group or individually.

   

 

Timeline

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Fall 2008

• November 25, 2008 — Submit proposal to Pilot a LPO.og Initiative, 
• December 2008 — First of monthly conference calls held between LPO.org team and Mr Bobby Hackett, Bonner Foundation for planning and modification of proposal as necessary.
• November/December 2008
  • Community partnerships identified and developed.
  • Project Coordinator and Faculty devise student internship recruitment method on approval of LPO.org I funding at MHC.
  • Students recruited for internships. Students enrolled in Sociology course for Spring 2009.

 

Spring 2009

• Sociology of Family course begins
  • Two research Internships begin.
  • Student research activity would also produce PolicyOptions Issue Briefs for community partners and on the topics relevant to the partnership (e.g., drop-out prevention). 
• January 31
  • Monthly payment of faculty and staff coordinators or supervisors.
• February 28
  • Begin monthly payment of student stipends during the school year or summer, as existing internships are completed and as new ones may be identified for implementation of the Summer 2009 or Fall 2009 and beyond.
• April 18-20
  • Attend CBR National Conference at Princeton. G. Bosonetto and L. Pedersen.
• April/May
  • Review and reassessment of research objectives and coordination of issue focuses within the PolicyOptions.org team, and with the Bonner Program staff at MHC, in preparation for the SLI conference in June.
• May, 2009, and later if indicated:
  • A town forum or other research and collaboration with community partner-related expenses. Payment of honoraria to community partners at semester intervals.
• April 1, 2009
  • Progress reports due - student update reports made by May 12, 2009.
• May 2009
  • Internships and Sociology course completed. 
  • Internship on high school dropout rates to be completed Summer 2009. (Spring 2009 incomplete.)
• Wes Skidmore is registered for a Fall 2009 Sociology internship, to continue research and policy recommendations for Madison County youth and family services. 

 

Summer 2009

• May 2009. Internship on high school drop-out rates continues. Recommendations for future research and policy review to be made to High School Drop Out Prevention Committee at Madison County, end of May 2009.
• Plan focus group meeting of students attending summer school, or other 'at risk' high school students, to take place in late summer or early Fall 2009.
• Plan community forum with representatives of community partners involved in Spring 09 research, and with representatives from Economic Development council in Mars Hill, Madison and other organizations within Madison County.
• Tentatively plan coordination of acitivities of Madison Outreach Coordinator funded by Learn & Serve in subgrantee role (through Bonner Foundation), with interns and PolicyOptions.org Pilot Project coordinator.
• June 2009. Results of Spring 2009 research are reported.  Recommendations for future course adaptations and internships.
• June 3-6. Participants attend Bonner 2009 SLI at Stetson University, DeLand, Florida conference. 
• August, December, 09 and April, June, and August of 2010. Additional progress reports due in with postings to the PolicyOptions website, www.policyoption.org, for campus best practices sharing, Bonner guidance and feedback, etc.

 

Fall 2009

• Recruit new interns from Bonner Scholars and PolicyOptions Pilot Project team for continued work on Education and Youth and Family Issues in Madison County.
• New course adaptations or internships, as indicated by research and IssueBriefs.
• Community partnerships continue through college service learning and internship engaged learning placements.
• Attend Bonner Directors Meeting
• December 15 – Progress report due.

 

Spring 2010

• March 2010 – Planning at MHC for Fall 2010 initiatives based on pilot outcomes.
• April 1 - Progress report due.

 

Summer 2010

• June 3-6 – Bonner Program’s 20th Anniversary and SLI at Berea College (Berea, KY).
• August 15 – Final report due.