Spring 2008

The HUD COPC initiative, funded by the Office of University Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a long-term effort to build strong and sustainable partnerships between the University of Maine and Bangor.  The three-year grant is designed to build and grow opportunities for partnerships between the community and university.  The Bangor-UMaine partnership focuses primarily on three areas: Community Inclusion, Youth Empowerment, and Affordable Housing.  For a visual narrative, please see our diagram and exhibit 

Just in time for graduation, seniors in the Communications & Journalism Department are getting invaluable real world experience.  This semester, Assistant Professor Laura Lindenfeld challenged her students to develop advertising campaign(s) for local Bangor area businesses.  Divided among small groups, the students are paired with six different businesses:

(1)   Bella Luna, a new clothing store in downtown Bangor

(2)   JB Parker’s Café, new to the downtown

(3)   Giacomo’s, an Italian grocery store also new to the downtown

(4)   The Penobscot Theatre

(5)   Nostrano’s, an Italian eatery in Bar Harbor

(6)   The UM Recreation Center 

In a style similar to Donald Trump’s show, The Apprentice, the class requires students to develop a logo for their own group, manage their responsibilities as a team, study their client and conduct market research.  The project culminates in a final presentation of the ad campaign to the client, at their place of business. 

Bangor City Business & Economic Development Officer Sally Bilancia spoke with the students about her role in the downtown development and what their partnership means to these businesses. The bottom line is that Bangor has made great strides, but it still has a lot of work to do, which means there's potential, and potential is what it's all about. I think it is great that the students are working with local businesses.  Not only does it give them real-world experience, but it is also a learning experience for the business owners. 

By having the students create a strong partnership with downtown businesses, Professor Lindenfeld aims to preserve the class as a yearly service-learning course that reaches out to the Bangor community for a more sustainable working partnership.

In Back Home: The Story of a Mother, a Daughter, and a House, UMaine senior Colin McGovern documents the dilemma of a woman who moves back to Old Town from New Hampshire to care for her elderly mother.  Like so many middle- aged adults across America , Diane must decide how best to care for her elderly parent while still being able to work and manage her own financial obligations.  Diane, unable to give around-the-clock care, is forced to place her mother in a nursing home while forfeiting her mother’s house to the State of Maine in exchange for the cost of long-term care.

Colin, who composed the eight minute documentary, came to know Diane through her work at the campus Student Union Center.  She was so eager to tell her story, and knowing what a powerful tool documentary work can be, I felt as though I had a responsibility to help her share her tragic account.

As part of his senior capstone project Colin plans to develop a blog and create an online dialogue so that people can share their own stories.  For more information about Colin's project, you can email him at Colin.McGovern@umit.maine.edu.  

For the past two years the UMaine’s Center on Aging has been convening the Our Neighborhood Our Homes Coalition, a group of Bangor professionals whose interests center on the city’s affordable housing matters.  Just last fall, this group held several focus groups with area housing organizations in addition to compiling preliminary survey results from their housing needs assessment. 

Using the downtown postal carrier routes, the survey response rate averaged around 17-20%, measuring issues pertaining to Bangor housing affordability, availability, and access.  The themes of home ownership and renter satisfaction were two very clear issues which emerged.  Nearly 80% of the respondents who were renters said that they would prefer to own their own home, while those who were satisfied renting were concerned with issues of:  (1) noise and crime; (2) layout/physical features of the property; and (3) high rental rates.  

Moving forward, the Center on Aging will focus in on a handful of key housing goals that are not only achievable but also work to bridge long-term relationships with the University.  

For more information about the Our Neighborhood Our Homes Coalition, visit the Center on Aging website: 
www.umaine.edu/mainecenteronaging/copcresources.htm

Thinking about next steps after high school can be overwhelming for any teen, especially if matters are complicated with being in foster care.  Last fall Meg Callaway of Community Care, an organization that works to provide family-oriented care for local children and teens in foster care, experimented with the idea of creating a type of next steps workshops.  With the help of the Bangor Department of Health & Human Services, the Youth Leadership Advisory Team (YLAT), the Friends of Youth Network, and the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, the workshop proved to be successful. 

In February, Meg reconvened the group to plan a second workshop.  Following the advice of the teens, the event was moved to the University of Maine , which allowed time to shoot hoops in the Field House and even speak with a UMaine football player who had his own experience with foster care.  Additionally, teens were taken through an online game called "Get a Life" (www.collegeboundmaine.org) in order to demonstrate the direct connection among education levels, career options, salaries and life styles. 

With more than double the number of teens attending the February workshop, Meg hopes to keep building momentum and create a more regular series of events.  Workshops provide a great opportunity for teens to talk with one another and learn about available services and career/educational paths.  Teens are inspired by stories from young college students who model the belief that they too can persevere through difficult times. 

For more information contact Meg Callaway at MCallaway@comcareme.org.         

Check our website for a list of civic engagement news in higher education, conferences, awards, and forums! www.umaine.edu/mcsc/copc/news.htm

Online registration is open! 
The Institute on Global Service-Learning.  
The Institute will be held at Cornell University , April 25-26th.  More information:
 www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=194783

Call for Applications! 
Community-Engaged Scholarship: Application Deadline:   March 17, 2008
The Rizzo Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill .  Details at:
http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pdf_files/cfa-charrette.pdf

For a comprehensive list of national events related to campus civic engagement:
Campus Compact March Calendar
www.compact.org/calendar/month/2008/3

UMaine Service Learning Retreats. 
Please mark your calendar:

3/28/08    8:00am-10:00am
Bumps Room (Student Union)

4/7/08     1:00pm-3:00pm
Coe Room (Student Union)

4/25/08    8:00am-10:00am
Bumps Room (Student Union)

6/2-6/3    8:00am-4:00pm
Location TBA

Service Learning Seed Grants!
The UMaine Service & Outreach Committee of the Faculty Senate is pleased to announce a RFP for service-learning seed grants.  For further information: contact Kathleen March, 581-2088; Audra Grady, 581-4194; or Ellen Woodhead, 581-1167.  

Download:
RFP Description
RFP Grant Application Form
RFP Budget Form

Jay Mechling Lecture , February 20, 2008
UMaine Public Lecture: The Humanities and the Land Grant University Mission

Download:
Transcript of February lecture
Melching biography
Melching teaching award information