By Jessica Matthews, Undergraduate Student (Junior), Studying Music/Piano Performance and English, University of Florida (Photos by Alee Karpf, Director of Recreational Therapy, The Residence at the HONOR Center Domiciliary)

For an art form so spontaneously inclined, dramatic improvisation’s function in addressing social challenges is 100% premeditated. Improvisation is a theatrical art form in which a given construct such as an audience suggestion or improvisational game sets the foundation for the actor’s performance. Dramatic improvisation, though, is one thing; improvising to address the obstacles of homelessness is another entirely. Such social construction is the goal of a recently developed theatrical improvisation program with The Residence at the HONOR (Hope, Opportunities, Networking, Outreach, and Recovery) Center Domiciliary, an institution in Gainesville, FL that provides housing to homeless veterans affected by illness or disability, and equips them with life skills (http://www.northflorida.va.gov/services/homeless/).

The improv program, a recreational therapy option for the domiciliary residents that meets for one hour each week, aims to help veterans combat the ramifications of homelessness. The program is co-led by two outstanding members of the University of Florida community: Karelisa Hartigan, a professor emerita of Classics at UF where she taught for 35 years, and Charlie Mitchell, currently an assistant professor at UF’s School of Theatre and Dance. Through the initiative efforts of UF President Bernie Machen, the university joined Imagining America in 2009; the improv program, orienting the university with veterans in the surrounding community, exemplifies UF’s participation (http://ufimaginingamerica.tumblr.com/). (more…)

By A. Wendy Nastasi, Director of Imagining America’s CNY PAGE program. This post first appeared on the Democracy U blog on February 22, 2012.

At Syracuse University, there is a focused effort to embody democratic education through teaching, research, and engaged praxis. The rhetoric of publicly engaged scholarship is communicated through our vision, Scholarship in Action, and we purposefully enact the civic mission of higher education through hiring and admission practices, funded initiatives and within the scope of graduate education and research. Graduate education is an important site for the articulation and development of higher education’s role in participatory democracy because graduate students are the next generation of university professorate, administrators, and community partners.

Last October, The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article, titled Syracuse’s Slide, where, among other things, Syracuse University’s commitment to publicly engaged scholarship was criticized as playing a role in lowering standards and reducing the national prestige of our university. This article mobilized graduate students from across campus, galvanizing us to speak back, across disciplinary boundaries, to the unfair depiction of our commitment to the university as a public good. The article deepened our level of solidarity as graduate students, stimulating an urgency about declaring the value of publicly engaged scholarship. Far from a slide, partnering with community stakeholders for the robust and dynamic production of knowledge is indicative of Syracuse’s Rise. (more…)

By Jeremy Lane, Administrative Specialist, Imagining America

There’s quite a lot of activity happening within the Imagining America network. To help keep it all straight, here’s a summary of all the opportunities we’ve recently disseminated. (more…)

Imagining America is pleased to re-post this great story about the University of Washington’s certificate program for publicly active graduate students. The program is directed by Bruce Burgett, IA’s Board Chair, and Miriam Bartha, Research Fellow, IA’s Integrated Assessment Initiative. (more…)