The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Post

In this year’s Big Ideas Research Grants, CC&E’s Tom Douthat's LA-SEER Center won $250,000 in Phase 3 funding Learn more about this project, and how CC&E faculty are working in interdisciplinary teams to solve pressing problems in Louisiana and around the globe https://ow.ly/PnLv50RWH64

Thank you for doing this, Herzog Foundation! There are profound theological and pedagogical reasons to at least be asking these questions. Sure, it blows up much of the way we think about traditional school. But in general, doesn't the assumptions that come from starting with the gospel as our first premise also blow up a lot of assumptions! There's enough data out there about the pedagogical effects on students and their capacities; it provides more time for teachers to prep and to stay sharp throughout the week; it creates more space for recognizing the importance of the family; (if Monday is the day "off,") it encourages greater participation in and enjoyment of our corporate worship. I could go on and on. It's part of the reason why it's one of the first podcast episodes I put together for RenewEd. 24 minute listen here: https://lnkd.in/gaRDXAKk

Recently, I got to sit down with some of my favorite movement leaders to discuss the threat to our democracy and planet posed by Project 2025—a comprehensive plan devised by a coalition of conservative think tanks, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation. Their objective is to distort the federal government and its policies to align with anti-democratic, authoritarian conservative ideology. For those just getting familiar with Project 2025 and the very real threat it poses, I urge you to watch this video, which captures some of the highlights from my longer conversation with Marisa Franco of Mijente; George Goehl of Addition Collective; and Maurice Mitchell of Working Families Party. We live in complex, challenging times and so much is on the line. Our best bet for a livable future is organized solidarity. It's our strongest tool to understand threats, refine strategies, and envision a country animated by love for our planet and the belief that all life is precious. To support our beloved community in navigating this moment, I’m thrilled to announce Marguerite Casey Foundation’s Summer School: Building A People and Planet-Centered Future. 🌍✊ From now through October, MCF Summer School will feature in-person and virtual sessions with movement organizers, partners, and scholars discussing multiracial solidarity, the government we want, how we hold powerful forces accountable, and more. MCF Summer School goals are to: ➡ Get clear about how we can defeat fascism ➡ Plant seeds for a bold, progressive future, and ➡ Support organizing to win a better world There is no better time to come together and build a better future. Join our next session, "The State of Student Protest," on June 13 at 1 PM ET. Register now at the link in the comments. arrow ⬇

Love this - the time to learn how to work in coalition & solidarity for true multiracial democracy is now! This learning series is a key step to such a process.

Wondering what you can do and how you can contribute in this moment … check this out!

What a great model of servant leadership.

The Beeby era begins. 🦅 Alumni share their successes. 🏆 And One Day for UWL is almost here. 🎈 Read these stories and more in the latest issue of the UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation Lantern! 🔗

Today is the two-year anniversary of my dissertation defense! In response to uneven power dynamics and traditional roles of knowledge making that I participated in and observed in the Peace Corps and other community engagement endeavors in graduate school, my dissertation attempted to develop an infrastructure of reciprocity in community-engaged research (CeR). I’ve since left academia but continue to participate in some academic conversations through conferences and publications. Here are some reflections from the past two years: 🧐 Leaving academia doesn’t mean I can’t still practice what I love. 🧐 I’ve been working and learning in public health. That interdisciplinary space has helped deepen my understanding of CeR. 🧐 Even across disciplines, this type of research is undervalued and underfunded. 🧐 By intentionally centering community expertise and lived experience, CeR is rigorous, culturally responsive, and relevant. The comic reflections in the picture below detail a few of the power dynamics I needed to navigate as a community-engaged practitioner and researcher. And I hope to continue creating and using tools like this to expand how we think of knowledge making. My goal for the next two years is to continue practicing equitable community engagement by: 🌠 Encouraging folks to deeply examine their researcher positionality using tools like comic reflections. 🌠 Engaging in shared decision making to create equitable structures to conduct CeR.