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Wesleyan Engaged: Center for Civic Leadership and Service Learning
Brian Kurisky appointed as the Center's first director
Featured News | March 21, 2018
By Laynee H. Timlin
Virginia Wesleyan has had a long history of meaningful engagement with the community. In keeping with that long-standing tradition, last fall, VWU President Scott D. Miller shared plans for the creation of a new center that would build on Virginia Wesleyan University’s strong foundation of student volunteerism and further shape, expand, and direct service learning opportunities, neighborhood partnerships, and interfaith dialogue.
“My goal is to emphasize the four academic pillars of Virginia Wesleyan University: undergraduate research, international experience, internships, and civic engagement,” said President Miller. “We strengthened our commitment to civic engagement last semester with the formation of Wesleyan Engaged: Center for Civic Leadership and Service Learning and the appointment of Brian Kurisky as its director.”
Kurisky joined the VWU community as director of Wesleyan Engaged on December 1, 2017. Prior to coming to Virginia Wesleyan, Kurisky served in various leadership roles at Old Dominion University, including his most recent position as director for academic initiatives in the Center for High Impact Practices. His other roles were in academic support and institutional research and assessment. He has also held several student affairs/residence life positions at institutions such as Ferris State University, Western Michigan University, and Lake Superior State University. Kurisky holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Old Dominion University, an M.S.Ed. in College Student Affairs and Leadership from Grand Valley State University and B.S. degrees in European political science and intercurcultural communications from Old Dominion University.
In his new role, Kurisky is charged with building on VWU’s existing community relationships and further identifying and coordinating mutually-beneficial service learning and volunteer opportunities for faculty, staff, and students. He will also pursue grant support for Wesleyan Engaged, initiate the Bonner Leaders Program at VWU, and seek national recognition for the University through initiatives such as the President’s Higher Education Honor Roll, the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification and the Campus Compact Civic Action Plan.
One of his first accomplishments has been initiating membership with Campus Compact, a national coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities dedicated to civic education and community development. As the only national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, Campus Compact enables campuses like VWU to develop students’ citizenship skills and forge effective community partnerships. Its resources will support faculty and staff as they pursue community-based teaching and scholarship in the service of positive change. Virginia Wesleyan’s participation in Campus Compact builds on the University’s connections and improves civic engagement efforts.
Kurisky says that much of what needs to be accomplished requires documentation of the civic impact Virginia Wesleyan makes in the community and he is setting up systems to ensure that Wesleyan Engaged is the central repository for this information.
“I discovered early on that VWU students, faculty, and staff do many great things both on and off the campus,” said Kurisky. “One of my goals will be to document and showcase this work, so that our institution and the community can see our impact.”
In addition to working with students, Kurisky will also work closely with faculty to help them see the importance of civic engagement and service learning in their coursework. He plans to help them connect to potential projects that align to their curricular focus.
Currently, the Center coordinates student volunteer and outreach programs that have been well-established. Those programs (Marlins Read, Marlins Count, Global Marlins, Neighborhood Tutoring, Future Marlins, Bonner Leaders, Marlins Go Green and Terra-Cycling) have provided valuable volunteer opportunities for VWU students as well as much needed support for organizations surrounding the Virginia Wesleyan community.
“I’ve been lucky to have amazing support from my new colleagues throughout the campus who are helping with each of the initiatives,” continued Kurisky. “I want Virginia Wesleyan University to be the institution in the Mid-Atlantic that is known for the engagement our students do within all our communities.”
Learn more about Wesleyan Engaged: Center for Civic Leadership and Service Learning at http://www.vwu.edu/student-life/community-service/.