Kellogg Mini-Grant Awardees 2001

In 1998, Penn State and Cheyney University initiated a partnership that was funded by the Kellogg Foundation for the purpose of developing new leadership models that will allow land grant institutions to respond more effectively to the needs of their constituents. Known as the Leadership for Institutional Change Initiative (LINC), the project featured a national dialog among selected land grant universities about defining flexible and dynamic leadership models for the 21st century, and the creation of Leadership Learning Communities at Penn State and Cheyney.

A significant portion of Phase II activity will be the awarding of mini-grants to diverse teams of campus and community members who are working on projects that address recognized
campus/community issues.

Grants for the period of January 1, 2001 to August 31, 2001 have been awarded to the following:

Visionary and Strategic Plan for Downtown State College
Downtown State College Partnership
Contact: Teresa K. Sparacino, Executive Director

GOALS: To complete a Strategic Plan for Downtown State College. The plan, when
complete, will identify opportunities for non-auto transportation, identify the community's unmet entertainment and cultural attractions, and identify collaborative and unilateral projects.

Youth Leadership Program
Leadership Centre County
Contact: Georgia C. Abbey, Executive Director

GOALS: To develop a leadership program for the youth of Centre County to promote a better
sense of community and civic responsibility and allow the participants to 'take back' to their
communities, the skills necessary to lead service learning projects.

Penn State York Early Awareness Program
Penn State York
Contact: Dr. Cora Dzubak, Learning Center Director

GOALS: To increase the retention rate of high school students from York, Pennsylvania by their participation in a 15-hour summer project. Program activities will enhance student knowledge of postsecondary options including college, vocational training, and career trends. "Learning for life" workshops will include time management, goal setting, and citizenship, focusing on the importance of completing high school and preparing for the real world.

The Philadelphia Field Project
Contact: Lakshman Yapa, Associate Professor, Geography

GOALS: To integrate teaching, research and service to the community through a year-round course where undergraduates live, work, and study in an inner-city neighborhood of West Philadelphia.

Leadership Roundtable: Developing Leadership Skills in PSU's Undergraduate Population 2000 - 2001
Contact: Cheryl L. Achterberg Dean, The Schreyer Honors College

GOALS: To identify the opportunities available to undergraduates to learn about leadership in the Penn State/State College community and to produce materials to facilitate the sensible selection of progressively complex and challenging learning experiences that prepare students for a dynamic future.

Developing an Intensive Leadership Honors Course for Incoming Freshmen
Contact: Cheryl L. Achterberg Dean, The Schreyer Honors College

GOALS: To develop and implement an intensive introductory course that prepares honors students for leadership roles in their communities.

The Upward Bound Math and Science Center
Contact: Jody Markley-Hall, Assistant Director, Upward Bound Math & Science Center

GOALS: To assist students, who are from low-income families and/or will be the first their families to attend college, to recognize and develop their potential to excel in math and science and to encourage them to pursue postsecondary degrees in these fields.

Youth Leadership Program
Penn State New Kensington
Contact: Dr. Carol Rush, CEO Penn State New Kensington

GOALS: To provide training modules to develop the leadership skills of high school students within the New Kensington region. The overall goal of the project is to inspire lifelong leadership service to school and community. Students who participate in the program will have the opportunity to learn and develop the ability to interact socially, to think creatively, to evaluate critically and to think systematically. They will also learn self-awareness and self-concern through participative decision-making and goal setting.

International Service LearningField Course for Schreyer Scholars: Pilot Project
Contact: JoAnn C. Vender, The Schreyer Honors College

GOALS: To develop and implement a field-based course in international service learning for 20 students on a pilot basis. The project will engage participants in a meaningful community development project; learning about the conditions, challenges, and prospects of a specific world region. Participants will build leadership skills through networking, fund-raising, and making presentations to school children and civic groups in their home communities. If evaluations demonstrate its success, the project will serve as a model for international service learning projects offered under the auspices of the Schreyer Honors College.

Penn State Promise
Contact(s): Art Carter, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Carol J. German
Director, AT&T Center for Service Leadership

GOALS: To develop and implement a field-based course in international service learning for 20 students on a pilot basis. The project will engage participants in a meaningful community development project; learning about the conditions, challenges, and prospects of a specific world region. Participants will build leadership skills through networking, fund-raising, and making presentations to school children and civic groups in their home communities. If evaluations demonstrate its success, the project will serve as a model for international service learning projects offered under the auspices of the Schreyer Honors College.

The Victim to Victory Community Coalition
Contact(s): Art Carter, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Carol J. German
Director, AT&T Center for Service Leadership

GOALS: To open dialogue with the leaders from the University and the community to foster improved relations among people of differing races and cultures, and to take action to educate the communities about multiculturalism.

Enhancing the Teaching of Science in Elementary Schools through School-University Partnership
Contact: Carla Zembal-Saul, Assistant Professor, Science Education Department of Curriculum & Instruction

GOALS: To bring together a collaborative team of teachers, scientists, and science educators to enhance elementary science curricula and support the professional development of elementary teachers. Curriculum enhancements will focus on science content, instructional strategies, performance assessments, and technology integration.

Did You Know? (High Risk Drinking)
Contact(s): Susan L. Kennedy & John Sheridan Co-Chairs, University Park Campus Community Partnership

GOALS: To communicate to students living off campus behavioral expectations and provide information about healthy behaviors. To increase student awareness of policies and laws, which govern living in a community, decrease the number of alcohol-related arrests in the State College community, and decrease the number of off-campus police and apartment owner reports of noise, violence, and vandalism.

Creating Health
Contact: Susan C. Youtz, Special Project Associate Outreach & Cooperative Extension

GOALS: To improve health behaviors among rural and urban residents throughout Pennsylvania through coordination of public television, radio and internet health programming and develop relevant and accessible community-based health, wellness and educational activities.

LeaderShape Institute
Contact(s): Marc J. Gauthier & Sarah Barth, Program Coordinators

GOALS: To build student leadership skills in key non-technical areas such as communication skills, teamwork and ethics. The program is a six-day event that places special emphasis on diversity and developing and carrying out a personal vision for leadership. The Institute is open to students from all majors.

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