By Emily Shinay
It all started with one off-handed word I jotted down on my notes: “newsletter?”
It was Day Two of an extensive two-day workshop for the Community Engagement Fellows and the Community Engagement Leaders with Wayne Meisel, President of the Bonner Foundation, founder of the Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL), friend of President Marx … Google him and you will learn of the incredible work he has done involving outreach and engagement. Meisel was trying to help members of the Center for Community Engagement brainstorm ways to get the Amherst campus more involved – and more importantly, more interested – in community engagement.
I sat through most of the meeting wondering how I fit in with all the grand plans flying around the room. The answer hit me about ten minutes before the meeting ended, and I rushed immediately to Molly Mead, Director of the Center for Community Engagement, to present my idea.
What seemed to be lacking on campus was a forum for students to learn about the engagement projects going on at Amherst: A place where student engagement efforts can be highlighted, where students can learn about the CCE, and where constructive dialogue concerning community engagement at Amherst can occur. One place where every student group – mentors, athletes, tutors, activists, volunteers – can present the incredible work they are doing, one place where students can raise concerns about community engagement at Amherst or present their ideas to make it better, and one place where students, faculty, and staff can share their own personal engagement narratives.
With these objectives in mind, we present The Engaged Citizen.
The goal of this publication is twofold: First, to inform, and second, to involve. Thorough articles about community engagement work at Amherst, the CCE, special events on campus, and personal narratives, we hope to make the community engagement projects at Amherst more visible. Through editorials, forum boards, and open discussion threads following each article, we hope to create an environment for discussion and debate. We invite every member of the Amherst community to contribute their ideas and ask questions concerning community engagement at Amherst.
Welcome to The Engaged Citizen.
Thank You:
I would like to thank the all people behind the scenes who made this publication possible: The Editors – Kati McKinnon, Tracy Huang, Maudlyn Obi, and Justin Sheng – as well as all of the staff writers for your commitment and enthusiasm, Sam Grauz and Charlie Quigg for teaching us how to make a publication at Amherst work, Nicholas Dahlman for answering endless tech-related questions, Molly Mead for believing in my little idea, and most especially Danielle Hussey for all of your guidance, support, and dedication to helping me make this publication happen. Thank you all.
Posted by JS, 28.6.08