Kevin Kecskes

Portland State University
Associate Vice Provost for Engagement
Director for Community-University Partnerships

Biography:
Kevin is charged with helping campus and community constituents live the university motto: “Let Knowledge Serve the City.” From 1997-2002, Kevin was the Director of Service-Learning at Washington Campus Compact, and the Program Director of the Western Region Campus Compact Consortium. He served three years in leadership and program development positions with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps in Charleston, SC. Kevin co-founded the Boston College International Volunteer Program and has spent a dozen years working, serving, and studying in the developing world, primarily in Latin America and Asia. His recent publications focus on the nexus between cultural theory and community-campus partnerships, faculty and institutional development for civic engagement, student leadership development, ethics and community-based learning, and service-learning impacts on community partners. Kevin recently edited "Engaging Departments: Moving Faculty Culture from Private to Public, Individual to Collective Focus for the Common Good" (2006, Anker Publications).

Expertise: Community Based Learning; Service Learning; community-university partnerships; faculty development; civic engagement; democratic education; education

Years of Relevant Experience: 20+ 

Read an interview with Kevin, featured in the May 2009 Talloires Network newsletter.

Relevant Publications:
Kecskes, K., and Kerrigan, S. (2009). Capstone Experiences: Integrating Education for Civic Engagement.  In B. Jacoby (ed.), Civic Engagement in Higher Education, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Messer, W. B and Kecskes, K. (2008). Social Capital and Community-University Partnerships: Constructing the ‘Soft Infrastructure’ of Social Sustainability , in Jesse Dillard, Veronica Dujon and Mary C. King (eds.) Forthcoming.  Understanding the Social Dimension of Sustainability.  New York: Routledge.

Messer, W. B. and Kecskes, K. (2008) An Anatomy of a Community University Partnership: The Structure of Community Collaboration, Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement.

Kecskes, K. (2008). Engagement in the disciplines. The Department Chair, 18(3), 16-18.

Kecskes, K., (Ed.) (2006) Engaging Departments: Moving Faculty Culture from Private to Public, Individual to Collective Focus for the Common Good. Bolton, MA: Anker, www.ankerpub.com.

Kecskes, K., (2006) Behind the Rhetoric: Applying a Cultural Theory Lens to Community-Campus Partnership Development, Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning. 5-14.

Kecskes, K., (2006) Big Questions for Engaging Departments.  In Kecskes, K. (Ed.) Engaging Departments: Moving Faculty Culture from Private to Public, Individual to Collective Focus for the Common Good. 1-10.

Kecskes, K., Kerrigan, S., Patton, J. (2006) The Heart of the Matter: Aligning Curriculum, Pedagogy and Engagement in Higher Education, Metropolitan Universities: Indicators of Engagement, (17) 1, 51-61.

Kecskes, K., Collier, P., Balshem, M. (2006) Engaging Scholars in the Scholarship of Engagement, In McKnight Casey, K., Davidson, G., Billig, S., Springer, N. (Eds.) Advancing Knowledge in Service Learning: Research to Transform the Field. Information Age Publishing, Greenwich, CT, 159-181.

Kecskes, K. (2006) Department-Wide Engagement: Creating and Supporting Durable Structures for Campus and Community Change, In Perry, J., Jones, S. (Eds.) Quick Hits for Educating Citizens. Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN 82-84.

Williams, D., Kecskes, K., Carey, C., Smith, A., Reynolds, C., Craddock, R. (2006) Student Leadership Models at Portland State: Partnering with Faculty and Community. In Zlotsowski, E., Longo, N., and Williams, J (eds) Students as colleagues: Expanding the circle of service-learning leadership, Providence, RI: Campus Compact Rhode Island.  

Kecskes, K., Gelmon, S., Spring, A. (2006) Creating Engaged Departments: A Program for Organizational and Faculty Development. To Improve the Academy: Resources for Faculty, Instructional and Organizational Development, 24, 147-165.

Reitenauer, V., Spring, A., Kecskes, K., Kerrigan, S., Cress, C., Collier, P. (2005) Building and Maintaining Community Partnerships. In Cress, C., Collier, P., Reitenauer and Associates (Eds.)  Learning Through Service: A Student Guidebook for Service-Learning Across the Disciplines. Stylus Publishing, Sterling VA 17-31.

Kecskes, K., Barber, K., Edwards, P. (2005) Professionalizing Community-based Research, Academic Exchange Quarterly, Spring 2005, 263-268.

Kecskes, K., Spring, A., Lieberman, D. (2004) The Hesburgh Certificate and Portland State University’s Faculty Development Approach to Supporting Service Learning and Community-University Partnerships. To Improve the Academy: Resources for Faculty, Instructional and Organizational Development, 22, 287-301.

Kecskes, K. (2004) Engaging the Department: Community-Based Approaches to Support Academic Unit Coherence. The Department Chair. 15 (1), 7-9.

Kecskes, K., Spring, A. (2003) Creating Engaged Departments: Moving Faculty Culture from Private to Public, Individual to Collective Focus for the Common Good, Sixth Annual Continuums of Service Conference Proceedings, http://www.acadweb.wwu.edu/campcomp/pdf/6theCOSAnnual Proceedings.pdf

Kecskes, K., O’Byrne, K., Rubin, M. (Eds.) (2002) Converging Perspectives on Service and Learning,  4th Annual Western Region Campus Compact Consortium Conference, Berkeley CA.

Kecskes, K., Lacy, S., Pollack, S. (2002) Differing Perspectives on Service, Learning, and Service-Learning: An Artists’ and Educators’ Palette. In Kecskes, K., O’Byrne, K., Rubin, M. (Eds.) Converging Perspectives on Service and Learning, 4th Annual Western Region Campus Compact Consortium Conference, Berkeley CA.

Kecskes, K., Pascua, A. (Eds.) (1999) Institutionalizing Service-Learning in Higher Education: Emerging Vision and Strategies, Bellingham WA, Western Washington University .

Kecskes, K. (1999) Continuums of Service: Building Ethics of Service in Campus Communities, The Source: UCLA-Higher Education Research Institute, Winter 1999.

Kecskes, K. (1996) Community Needs, Public Policy and the Private Sector: Utilizing Community Service-Learning Methodology in an American Public Policy Course, Bentley College Coursebook.

Kecskes, K. (1994) Setting up Students for Success: Caring as a Turning Point in the Community Service-Learning Curriculum, Seeds, Spring 1994.

Contact Information:
E-mail: kecskesk@pdx.edu
Phone: 503-725-5642