CCE renamed, focuses on student leadership

By Tina Nazerian     9/11/13 7:00pm

The Center for Civic Engagement is now the Center for Civic Leadership and has gained a host of new staff members, according to Director of the Community Involvement Center Mac Griswold.

Leadership Rice Director Judy Le said the name change helps connect and bring together the three offices within the Center for Civic Leadership: Leadership Rice, the Office of Fellowships and Undergraduate Research, and the Community Involvement Center. 

Le said the experiences offered to students by the three CCL offices overlap and that the CCL wants to help students prepare for their volunteering experiences, understand how their experiences connect to their values and continue to work to make changes in their communities.

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"Having the CCL in place really helps [show that] experiences should not be thought of in a vacuum," Le said.

OFUR Director Caroline Quenemoen said OFUR offers numerous programs that encourage students to develop their skills in research, internship and service.

"[OFUR] focuses on research opportunities and has a new program called the Houston Action Research Teams that allows students to engage with Houston community partners and to solve problems in the community," Quenemoen said. "Leadership Rice offers internship opportunities through the Summer Mentorship Experience, and the [CIC] offers service opportunities."

According to Associate Dean of Undergraduates and Associate Vice Provost Matthew Taylor, the motivation for the change was to better convey the CCL's role on campus. 

" 'Civic engagement' was a reflection of the initial idea behind the center, which came in part from President [David] Leebron, and also of our original vision based on partnerships with organizations around the city and getting students out from behind the hedges," Taylor said. 

Griswold said the name change does not itself change anything for students, but rather reflects  how the CCL envisions its future work and outcomes.

According to Griswold, Lauren Caldarera will fill the new position of associate director of the CIC and will strengthen existing programs like Alternative Spring Break. Griswold said Caldarera will also work on six one-credit courses focused on leadership training, logistical training, and safety and support for site leaders.

Additionally, programs such as Beyond the Sallyport, which will introduce students to the Houston community and develop them as civic leaders, and a capstone course for those demonstrating commitment to civic or social issues will be launched by next year, Quenemoen said.

Le said the capstone course aims to create change within communities and launch students into a lifetime of civic leadership.

"We are conceptualizing the capstone course right now for students who have had a great deal of experience already in engaging on civic and social issues," Le said. "The capstone is meant to continue that work."

Taylor said that in addition to Caldarera, the CIC hired two new assistant directors, Kelly Windham and Jacqueline Jones. He said Leadership Rice also has a new associate director, Felicia Martin (Sid Richardson College '99), and a new assistant director, Jesse Hendrix. 

Griswold said students need to look at the individual pieces of what they do and create a larger vision. 

"There has to be some bigger meaning to the work that you do, and being able to articulate that and convey it to others is an important part of leadership," Griswold said. 

Hanszen College junior Emily Sartain, an ASB site leader for 2014, said she thinks the new one-credit courses for site leader improve the structure of the ASB program and that the name change of the CCL shifts the center's focus from participation to leadership.

"That [name change] emphasizes taking a leadership role more than just being a participant," Sartain said.

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