The Pathways to Achieving Civic Engagement (PACE) Conference, held February 14, 2018, is sponsored by the North Carolina Campus Compact, which is “a collaborative network of colleges and universities committed to educating students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy.”  This year’s PACE Conference drew more than 200 representatives from 35 institutions in 6 states. Deana Johnson, Director of the College Opportunity Program, and Amy Williams, Instructor in the College Opportunity Program, presented “Freshman Foundations: Meeting Student Needs and Institutional Goals through Service” in a traditional workshop format, as well as a "mini-session" on “Partnership through Poetry: Poetry Publishing Project with Elementary Students.”

“We were pleased to have the opportunity to present about our recent service-learning projects, and we were also inspired by the work of our colleagues,” Johnson noted.

Department member Scott Hicks reviewed proposals for the PACE Conference this year.  Dr. Hicks noted that _““Year after year, PACE features faculty, staff, students, and community partners doing incredible work in their classrooms, among their campuses, and in their communities. The research they share at PACE underscores the powerful ways that service-learning and civic engagement amp up students’ learning in classes and in their majors.”