Center for Service Learning names faculty fellows, invites participation in ambassador groups
LAWRENCE — The Center for Service Learning at the University of Kansas has selected faculty members Susan Harvey and Emily Vietti to serve as faculty fellows.
“As part of our strategic planning process this summer, our team reaffirmed that faculty and staff support is a critical component of connecting students to service learning and civic engagement opportunities. We are ecstatic to launch our faculty fellow program to bolster this component of our work, and I am particularly excited to have Susan and Emily as part of our CSL team,” said Kate Kemper, CSL program manager.
About the fellows:
Susan Harvey
Harvey is an associate professor of community health in the Department of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences. She will serve as the CSL’s Service Learning Faculty Fellow and will lead the CSL’s Service Learning Ambassador program. Her scholarly work focuses on improving food security and built environments conducive to healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Harvey has taught numerous service learning courses and was recognized in 2018 as the recipient of the CSL’s Excellence in Service Learning Award.
"Service learning has been an integral part of my instruction. It provides a meaningful way for students to really get their boots on the ground and apply what they learn in the classroom to diverse initiatives within our community,” Harvey said. “Service learning fosters problem-solving skills, collaboration with peers and community members, and connections with community partners that often last beyond the course. I am excited and honored to be in this role as faculty fellow and look forward to working with colleagues across KU."
Emily Vietti
Vietti is an associate teaching professor of organizational communication in the School of Professional Studies. Vietti will serve as the CSL’s Civic Engagement Faculty Fellow and will lead the CSL’s Civic Engagement Ambassador program. She has previously taught courses in KU’s Leadership Studies and Communication Studies departments, and her research explores the effects of gender on the experiences of political candidates and early career politicians.
“Encouraging students to engage in civic and community engagement during their time on campus gives students access to the skills and tools they will use to make an impact on the world throughout their lives, wherever they land,” Vietti said. “Often students are unsure of where to find opportunities or how to get involved in this work, and many faculty members have said they would love more resources to pass along to their students as well. I am hopeful that, as faculty fellow, I can help make these connections and build our capacity for civic engagement across the University of Kansas.”
The Center for Service Learning welcomes KU community members with interest in service learning course instructions, community-engaged scholarship and civic engagement to engage with the faculty fellows through the Service Learning and Civic Engagement Ambassador programs. Ambassadors serve as liaisons between their departments/units and the Center for Service Learning while engaging in communities of practice with their peers across the institution.