[ Update ]
"In
its third year, the awards program was developed to recognize those who fulfill
the university’s commitment to using their scholarly, creative or professional
knowledge to improve the well-being of Illinois citizens. Recipients were honored
at a banquet Sept. 23. The program is an extension of the Partnership Illinois
initiative and the Senate Committee on Continuing Education and Public Service."
Inside Illinois
story Vol. 22, No. 7, Oct. 3, 2002
Michael J. Andrejasich a Professor from the School of Architecture and member of the ESLARP Executive Committee as well as Jassen Johnson, ESLARP Outreach Weekend Research Assistant were two of the recipients this year.
Professor
Andrejasich has engaged the community throughout his academic career at Illinois.
In the local community he served as the principal designer or architect of the
St. Jude Catholic Worker House, the Center for Women in Transition Forbes House,
and the Champaign Housing Authority scattered sites project. In addition, he
mentors middle and high school students interested in careers in design, integrated
arts, and building technology. Andrejasich was a co-founder of the East St.
Louis Action Research Project (ESLARP) in 1988. He has served as its director
and integrates the work in East St. Louis into his research and teaching. Even
while serving as interim director of the School of Architecture, he travels
as frequently as every other weekend to East St. Louis to take part in work
weekends where students, faculty, and staff work alongside local residents.
Andrejasich incorporates ideas from the community into his architecture studios
and is a champion of "reciprocal learning," where local residents receive technical
assistance and faculty and students learn about the local history and the community's
vision for the future.
For
the past two years, Jassen Johnson has recruited, organized, and mentored hundreds
of students participating in service learning opportunities through the East
St. Louis Action Research Project (ESLARP). As the Outreach Weekend coordinator,
Jassen designed outreach weekends that provided assistance for community groups
and community-based experiences for the students. He has a great gift for connecting
student learning in the classroom to the work being done alongside community
residents. Jassen has organized 13 weekends, involving almost 1,000 students
from six different departments. To assist with recruitment and coordination,
he helped design a Web-based outreach weekend site for student volunteers and
project coordination. He is successful in part because he often attended the
neighborhood meetings of groups like the Landsowne Steering Committee and has
gained their trust to develop appropriate weekend itineraries. Jassen honed
his skills as an active undergraduate volunteer with Volunteer Illinii Projects,
which named him Outstanding Student Volunteer in 2001.
The Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement recognizes faculty members, academic professionals, staff, and students who, in exemplary ways, have engaged society around critical issues in a manner that contributes to the public good. Those recognized with the campus award have used their knowledge and skills to address the technological, social, and economic challenges in Illinois. Each of our award winners has responded to a critical issue in society in ways that created interaction between the University and its communities of scholars and the communities of citizens.
Professor Andrejasich and Jassen Johnson were presented the Campus Award for Excellence in Public Service on Monday, September 23, 2002. The reception began at 4:30 p.m., with a welcome from Steven Schomberg, Associate Chancellor and Award Presentations by Nancy Cantor, Chancellor. The reception was located in the Atrium of Temple Hoyne Buell Hall.
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Photos by Vicki Eddings
- Adminstrative Coordinator, East St. Louis Action Research Project
Last modified: 04 October 2002, Deanna Koenigs
