Four Ways JEP Staff Engaged the Broader Field This Semester

While JEP’s primary focus remains supporting student leaders and community partnerships, this fall we want to highlight important work that often does not get a big spotlight within our regular communications. It’s a different kind of community building that our staff are constantly engaging in: connecting with fellow practitioners, researchers, and educators to share resources and learn from others doing similar work across higher education and beyond.

From faculty workshops on campus to international webinars and regional coalition meetings, this semester JEP staff participated in a variety of significant professional gatherings that expanded our network and reinforced our commitment to advancing the field of service learning and community engagement.

In October, for example, Executive Director Susan Harris presented at USC’s Center for Excellence in Teaching Fall Faculty Showcase on Experiential Learning. Her session, “Integrating Service Learning and Community Engagement Into Your Courses,” outlined the service learning opportunities available through JEP and provided resources for faculty interested in implementing community-based learning. The showcase brought together USC instructors from across disciplines to explore how “learning by doing” deepens student understanding and connection to their studies.

The following month, Harris moderated an international webinar for IARSLCE (International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement) titled “Beyond the Usual Suspects: SLCE Scholarship in STEM.” The panel, which also featured JEP’s STEM Education Programs Director Dr. Dieuwertje “DJ” Kast, brought together four women scholar-practitioners whose service learning work spans traditional disciplinary boundaries, integrating arts, humanities, and sustainable development into STEM education. The discussion explored distinct pathways into community-engaged STEM work, providing models and inspiration for bridging the gap between service learning and science fields.

Meanwhile, Associate Director Tina Koneazny traveled to Pasadena for the Green CA Schools and Higher Education Summit, where she co-presented “Designing Inclusive Schools: Embedding Health, Wellness, and Community in Educational Facilities.” Alongside HED’s Pre K-12 Sector Leader Mary Ruppenthal, Koneazny shared how design can advance equity, inclusion, and sustainability in learning environments, highlighting JEP’s Little Yoginis program as an example of integrating health and wellness into educational spaces. The session explored actionable planning tools for creating environments that enhance well-being, resilience, and community with particular focus on serving at-risk youth for whom education and life may be atypical.

Even closer to home, Assistant Director for Student Leadership and Development Sable Manson attended a panel for the Westside Coalition, an alliance of 81 organizations, public agencies, and faith communities working collaboratively on issues of housing, hunger, and health across the Westside of Los Angeles. “It was a great panel for the Westside Coalition. Made some good connections with SoCal community organizations!” Manson reflected, noting connections with community engagement leaders from UCLA College Corps, Pepperdine, and Santa Monica College. The coalition, founded in 1982, represents the kind of cross-organizational collaboration that mirrors JEP’s own commitment to coordinated community support.

These engagements reflect an important dimension of JEP’s work that often happens behind the scenes. While our students are the visible face of community engagement, our professional staff continuously invest in learning from and contributing to broader conversations about best practices in service-learning, community partnerships, and educational equity.

Whether presenting to USC faculty, participating in international research discussions, sharing successful programs at design conferences, or building regional networks with fellow practitioners, JEP staff carry forward decades of institutional knowledge while remaining open to new approaches and perspectives. These professional connections ultimately strengthen the programs our students experience and the partnerships we maintain with community organizations.