Newsletter: November-December 2016

Dear colleagues,

2017 offers an opportunity for a new beginning for the Network, and we need your voice and support to be successful. In our first ten years, we successfully gathered a group of more than 350 universities to take a public stand for university civic engagement. In our next stage, we are looking for stronger collaborations through institutional commitment. Our new dues structure was approved by the Steering Committee this year with an eye toward ensuring the sustainability that will allow the Network to make a lasting impact in the world.

We are calling on your university to cast a vote for four open Steering Committee positions. Our outreach has yielded an impressive slate of candidates from different parts of the world. The selected leaders will bring fresh perspectives and shape our global reach.

Early next year, we will open registration for our 2017 Talloires Network Leaders Conference in Veracruz, Mexico. Please save the dates of June 21-24 and join us for an empowering gathering bringing together faculty, practitioners, students, and university leaders concerned with civic engagement.

The Talloires Network secretariat recently moved back to Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life. This move allows us to better integrate our local community engagement efforts with our global coalition work. This fall, Tisch College programming and voter outreach efforts have sought to instill a commitment to civic participation in all our students, regardless of their political preferences. As I told our students, faculty, and staff in a recent message, we are fortunate to belong to a university community that values mutual respect and compassion. I am inspired by the commitment that all the member institutions of the Talloires Network have made to those values, and to strengthening our global community.

Sincerely,
Anthony Monaco
Chair, Talloires Network
President, Tufts University

In order to secure a strong second decade for Talloires Network programs and operations, the Steering Committee will begin to promote a tiered dues-paying system for member universities. Our “How To Join” page reflects this change, delineating the potential benefits for universities that commit to becoming Engaged Members. Learn More>>>

The Talloires Network Leaders Conference is taking place at Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico on June 21 – 23, 2017. Participants and speakers will explore the theme of “Social Responsibility and Human Dignity in Higher Education Engagement” and envision a future for engaged universities. To learn more about the Plenary and Breakout Session Speakers and logistics, visit the TNLC Home Page.

Talloires Network’s University Education for Transformative Leadership in Africa program hosted two webinars in the past two months on issues of engaged research. On September 29, Martina Jordaan, Robynn Ingle-Moller, Zanele Nkabinde, and Manchala Sithole from South Africa conducted the webinar on “Sustainability of Community-Engaged Projects”. On October 27, Filliam Efiti, Deborah Nassanga, and Stephen Wamembo from Uganda discussed “Internship Program and Community Engagement”. View the webinars here.

As part of the Beijing Forum, Talloires Network’s partner University Social Responsibility Network organised the Third University Social Responsibility Summit from November 4-6, 2016. A gathering of international higher education leaders, the Summit showcased the impressive and growing Asian leadership in the expanding global movement beyond the ivory tower. Read more here>>>

The students of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, are rewriting fairy tales with “kaali tales” (i.e. dark-skinned tales) with heroines who brandish swords and conquer enemies instead of being damsels in distress. Read more here>>>

The Aga Khan University, Karachi, along with the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Health Services has partnered with the Kilifi County government and the Canadian government to address infant mortality and maternal deaths in the county. Read more here>>>

The annual International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE) conference will be held on the theme of service learning and community engagement. The focus of presentations, symposiums, and keynotes is on research incorporating a variety of theoretical, methodologies, and perspectives. Learn more here.

The Yidan Prize has a mission to create a better world through education. Yidan Prize consists of two awards: Yidan Prize for Education Research and Yidan Prize for Education Development. Learn more about the prize and submit a nomination here.

The ninth volume of Gateways features engaged research from Canada, Australia, the United States, South Africa, Uganda and Japan. Many articles in this volume display critical reflection on the strengths and challenges experienced by university-community collaborations. Read the volume here.

The Scholars at Risk Network has released its Free to Think, 2016 report as part of their Academic Freedom Monitoring Project. The report analyses 158 reported attacks in 35 countries on scholars and members of the higher-education community, which pose a threat to their freedom to think, question, and share ideas. Read the report here>>>

Professor Penn Loh of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University has developed a transformative co-learning model. His initiative aspires to cultivate long-term, place-based, reciprocal partnerships where university and community co-produce knowledge and action toward a more just, sustainable, and democratic society. Read the article here>>>