The Center for Engaged Democracy is located within Merrimack College’s School of Education. The Center develops, coordinates, and supports academic programs around the country that are focused on civic and community engagement. The Center supports such academic programs through a variety of initiatives for faculty, administrators, and community partners. There are currently over fifty academic programs focused on community engagement.
The Center was founded in 2010 by Dan Sarofian-Butin. His research and academic work for over five years has been focused on the argument for the institutionalization of community engagement in higher education. He says that we need to reconceptualize the service-learning movement as an intellectual movement to make meaningful connections between colleges and communities and expand on the notion of an engaged campus. This shows the need to develop an "academic home" meaning academic programs such as majors, minors, certificates and interdisciplinary programs. His research is the reason for the development of this central research and action hub to develop, coordinate, and support academic programs that are focused on community engagement.
The Center is currently compiling existing research and documentation to support new and developing programs. The document repository has the following resources:
Strategic Planning Resources
Course Catalog Resource
Key Texts in Community Engagement
Syllabus Resource
The repository is currently housed on the Center for Engaged Democracy website.
An outcome of the 3rd Annual Summer Institute was a working paper in the Center for Engaged Democracy's Policy Papers Series, entitled Core Competencies In Civic Engagement. Developed by individuals from seven institutions and organizations the working paper synthesizes existing program competencies and resources for the community engagement field. The goal of this initiative remains to distill common competencies and propose a suggested list of core competencies for academic programs. The Core Competencies specifically address the following questions:
What are the learning outcomes for academic programs in "community engagement"?
What knowledge, skills, and dispositions should students have demonstrated by the end of their academic programs?
How should these competencies differ across diverse programs - certificates, minors, and majors?
The Center sponsors a yearly summer research institute for departments and academic programs. This conference brings together scholars, students, and community participants to engage critical questions of what it means in higher education to have an “academic home” for community engagement. In June 2011, the 2nd Annual Summer Research Institute hosted Keynote Speaker Benjamin Barber. The 3rd annual summer conference was held on June 23–24 at the campus of Merrimack College
In September 2011, the Center had a Call for Proposals for research on academic programs in community engagement. This request was to advance the research on academic programs in community engagement.
Rick Battistoni (Providence College), Arthur Keene (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Tania Mitchell (Stanford University), and John Reiff (University of Massachusetts Amherst) received the Center’s first research grant. Their research project is called Educating for Democratic Leadership in Three Multi-Year, Development, Cohort-Based Civic Engagement Programs. This project will investigate the long-term impacts of sustained, developmental community action programs at Providence College, Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts to understand how these programs influence civic identity and civic action and promote democratic leadership after college. Their findings will be presented at the 2012 summer research institute
Liz Hollander is a Senior Fellow at Tisch College at Tufts University.
Ari Hoy is Vice President for Program and Resource Development for the Bonner Foundation.
Peter Levine is Director of CIRLCE, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement and is Research Director of Tufts University’s Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service.
Elizabeth Minnich is a Senior Scholar, Association of American Colleges & Universities: Office of Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives.
Aaron Schutz is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies at The University of Vermont.
Byron White is the Vice President for University Engagement at Cleveland State University.
This information comes from Merrimack College School of Education
Alverno College: Community Leadership
Bryant University: Sociology and Service-Learning
Emory and Henry College: Public Policy and Community Service
Guilford College: Community and Justice Studies
Mercer University: Program in Social Entrepreneurship
Northern Illinois University: Community Leadership and Civic Engagement
Providence College: Public and Community Service Studies
University of Baltimore: Community Studies and Civic Engagement
University of California,Irvine: Public and Community Service
University of Connecticut: Urban and Community Studies
University of Maine - Machias: Psychology and Community Studies
University of Massachusetts - Boston: Community Studies
University of Texas at Austin: Youth and Community Studies
University of the Pacific: Community Service Learning
Wartburg College: Community Sociology
Allegheny College: Values, Ethics and Social Action
Assumption College: Community Service-Learning
Auburn University: Community and Civic Engagement
Cabrini College: Social Justice
California State University, Monterey Bay: Service Learning Leadership
Colorado School of Mines: Humanitarian Engineering
Concord University: Civic Engagement
DePaul University: Community Service Studies
Dominican University: Social Justice and Civic Engagement
Emory University: Community Building and Social Change
Guilford College: Community Studies
Hobart and William Smith Colleges: Public Service
Humboldt: Leadership Studies
Illinois State University: Civic Engagement & Responsibility
Indiana University: Leadership, Ethics, and Social Action
Mary Baldwin College: Civic Engagement
Metropolitan State University - Twin Cities: Civic Engagement
Miami University: Community Based Leadership
Montclair State University: Leadership Development Through Civic Engagement
Portland State University: Civic Leadership
San Jose State University: Service-Learning
Simmons College: Social Justice
Slippery Rock University: Community Service and Service-Learning
St. Catherine's University: Civic Engagement
State University of New York - Buffalo State: Understanding Community, Diversity, and Peace
State University of New York Stony Brook: Community Service-Learning
Tusculum College: Civic Engagement
UCLA: Civic Engagement
University of Indianapolis: Civic Engagement and Community Leadership
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth: Leadership and Civic Engagement
University of Michigan: Urban Studies
University of Missouri: Leadership and Public Service
University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Leadership and Civic Engagement
University of San Francisco: Public Service and Community Engagement
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh: Civic Engagement
Waynesburg University: Service Leadership
Whitworth University: Community Engagement and Transformation
William and Mary: Community Studies
Bentley University: Service Learning
Bristol Community College: Serve Learn Lead Civic Engagement
George Mason U: Public and Community Engagement
Indiana University - Bloomington: Political and Civic Engagement
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Community-Based Public Health
Kansas City Art Institute: Community Arts and Service-Learning
Madonna University: Community Leadership
Mercer University: Program in Leadership and Community Service
Murray State University: Service Learning Scholars
Northwestern University: Civic Engagement
Saint Louis University: Service Leadership
Salt Lake Community College: Civically Engaged Scholar
University of Alaska - Anchorage: Civic Engagement
University of Georgia: Interdisciplinary in Leadership & Service
University of Illinois - Chicago: Chicago Civic Leadership Certificate Program
University of Kansas: Service Learning (in Leadership Studies Minor)
University of Massachusetts - Amherst: Citizen Scholars Program
University of Nebraska - Lincoln: Civic Engagement
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill: Public Service Scholars Program
University of Pittsburgh: Civic Engagement and Community Service
University of Southern California: Graduate Certificate in Civic Engagement
University of Wisconsin - Parkside: Community Based Learning
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee: Community Leadership
University of Wisconsin - River Falls: Certificate
Vanderbilt University: Community Leadership and Development
West Chester University: Leadership and Civic Engagement
Western Kentucky University: Citizenship & Social Responsibility
Dr. Dan Sarofian-Butin is the founder of the Center for an Engaged Democracy and the founding deaan of the School of Education and an Associate Professor at Merrimack College. He is also the editor and author of more than sixty academic publications. His research focuses on community engagement and also issues of education preparation and policy. Prior to working in higher education, Dr. Butin was a middle school math and science teacher and the chief financial officer of Teach for America.
Butin, D. W. 2010. “So Close and Yet So Far To Go: A Review of Teacher Education, Diversity, and Community Engagement in Liberal Arts Colleges” in Teachers College Record, 10/28/2010.
Butin, D. W. 2010. “Can I Major in Service-Learning? An Empirical Analysis of Majors, Minors, and Certificates”, Journal of College and Character, 11(2).
Butin, D. W. 2010. Service-Learning in Theory and Practice: The Future of Community Engagement in Higher Education. NY: Palgrave. (Read chapter 1)
Butin, D. W. 2010. “Service-Learning as an Intellectual Movement: The Need for an ‘Academic Home’ and Critique for the Community Engagement Movement.” In Problematizing Service-Learning: Critical Reflections for Development and Action, edited by Trae Stewart & Nicole Webster. Information Age Publishing.
Butin, D. W. 2009. “A Review of Service-Learning and the Liberal Arts” Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences.
Butin, D. W. 2008. Editor. Service-Learning and Social Justice Education. New York: Routledge.
Butin, D. W. 2008. “Service-Learning” In Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education, edited by Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr. NY: SAGE Publications.
Butin, D. W. 2008. “Justice Learning: Service-Learning as Justice-Oriented Education” in D. W. Butin (Ed.) Service-Learning and Social Justice Education. NY: Routledge.
Butin, D. W. 2008. “Saving the University on His Own Time: Stanley Fish, Service-Learning, and Knowledge Legitimation in the Academy” Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning.
Butin, D. W. 2007. “Rethinking Engagement: Strengthening Faculty Buy-In to Community Engagement.” Change, Nov/Dec., 2007. pp. 34–37.
Butin, D. W. 2006. Guest Editor. “Future Directions for Service-Learning in Higher Education”, International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 18(1).
Butin, D. W. 2006. “The Limits of Service-Learning in Higher Education”, The Review of Higher Education, 29(4). pp. 473–498.
Butin, D. W. 2006. “Special Issue Introduction: Future Directions for Service-Learning in Higher Education”, International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 18(1). pp. 1–4.
Butin, D. W. 2006. “Disciplining Service-Learning: Institutionalization and the Case for Community Studies”, International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 18(1). pp. 57–64.
Butin, D. W. 2005. Editor. Service-Learning in Higher Education: Critical Issues and Directions. New York: Palgrave.
Butin, D. W. 2003. “Of What Use Is It?: Multiple Conceptualizations of Service-Learning in Education”, In Teachers College Record, 105(9), pp. 1674–1692.
BOOKS and MONOGRAPHS
Butin, D. W. Series Editor. Critical Studies in Community Engagement in Higher Education. NY: Palgrave.
Butin, D. W. and S. Seider. (In Press). The Engaged Campus: Majors, Minors, and Certificates as the New Community Engagement. NY: Palgrave.
Butin, D. W. (2010). The Education Dissertation: A Guide for Practitioner Scholars. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. (here is the table of contents)
Provenzo, E. F., Butin, D. W., and Angelini, A. (2008). 100 Experiential Learning Activities for Social Studies, Literature, and the Arts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Butin, D. W. (2005). Editor. Teaching Social Foundations of Education: Contexts, Theories, and Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers.
BOOK CHAPTERS, ARTICLES & ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRIES
Butin, D. W. (Forthcoming). “Yes, Service-Learning Works...But For Whom? The Politics and Power Dynamics of Community Engagement in Higher Education.” Theory into Practice.
Butin, D. W. (Forthcoming). “Democracy in Doubt: A Critical Examination of K-12 Service-Learning” in Enriching the Curriculum and Promoting Diversity Through Service-Learning, edited by R. Simmons and Valerie Hill-Jackson. Stylus Publishing.
Butin, D. W. (In Press). “Rethinking the ‘Apprenticeship of Liberty’: The Case for Academic Programs in Community Engagement in Higher Education” Journal of College & Character.
Butin, D. W.and N. Pianko. (In Press). “Jewish Studies and Service-Learning in Higher Education: What Each Can Gain From the Other.” Journal of Jewish Communal Service.
Butin, D. W. and S. Seider. (In Press). “The Future of Community Engagement in Higher Education” Journal of College & Character.
Butin, D. W. (2009/2000). National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities. Published a set of overviews on classroom design and educational facilities: “Early Childhood Centers”, “General Classrooms”, “Health Centers”, “Library Media Centers”, “Multi-Purpose Space”, “Science Facilities”, “Student Commons”, “Teacher Workspaces”, Washington, D.C.: available at: http://www.edfacilities.org/
Butin, D. W. (2008). “Lessons from an Urban Classroom: A Review of Schultz’s Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way.” Educational Studies, 44, pp. 289–293. (page proof version is here)
Butin, D. W. (2008). “Student Resistance” In Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education, edited by Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr. NY: SAGE Publications.
Butin, D. W. (2007). “Civic Engagement.” In Encyclopedia of the American High School, edited by Kathryn Borman, Spencer Cahill, and Bridget Cotner. New York: Greenwood Publishing.
Butin, D. W. (2007). “Dark Times Indeed: NCATE, Social Justice, and the Marginalization of Multicultural Foundations.”, Journal of Educational Controversy, 2(2). Available at: http://cedar.wwu.edu/jec/vol2/iss2/14/
Butin, D. W. (2007). “Re-Reading Dewey: A Review of David Hansen’s John Dewey and Our Educational Prospect”, Education Review. Available at: http://web.archive.org/web/20100614173837/http://edrev.asu.edu/reviews/rev575.htm
Butin, D. W. (2006). “Putting Foucault to Work in Educational Research: A Review”, Journal of Philosophy of Education. 40(3). pp. 371–380.
Butin, D. W. (2006). “The Limits of Service-Learning in Higher Education”, The Review of Higher Education, 29(4). pp. 473–498.(article is here)
Butin, D. W. (2005). “Is Anyone Listening? Educational Policy Perspectives on the Social Foundations of Education”. Educational Studies, 38(3). pp. 286–297. (article is here)
Butin, D. W. (2005). “’I Don’t Buy It’: Student Resistance, Social Justice, and Identity Construction”, Inventio 7(1). Available at http://web.archive.org/web/20070824100052/http://www.doit.gmu.edu/inventio/issues/Spring_2005/Butin_1.html
Butin, D. W. (2005). “Preface: Disturbing Normalizations of Service-Learning” in D. W. Butin (Ed.) Service-Learning in Higher Education: Critical Issues and Directions. Palgrave.
Butin, D. W. (2005). “Service-Learning as Postmodern Pedagogy” in D. W. Butin (Ed.) Service-Learning in Higher Education: Critical Issues and Directions. Palgrave.
Butin, D. W. (2005). “Introduction: Teaching Social Foundations” In D. W. Butin (Ed.) Teaching Social Foundations of Education: Contexts, Theories, and Issues. Mahwah: NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Butin, D. W. (2005). “Identity (Re)Construction and Student Resistance” In D. W. Butin (Ed.) Teaching Social Foundations of Education: Contexts, Theories, and Issues. Mahwah: NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Butin, D. W. (2005). “Diversity, Democracy, and Definitions: Contested Positions for the Future of the Social Foundations” In D. W. Butin (Ed.) Teaching Social Foundations of Education: Contexts, Theories, and Issues. Mahwah: NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Butin, D. W. (2004). “The Foundations of Preparing Teachers: Are Education Schools Really ‘Intellectually Barren’ and Ideological?” Teachers College Record. Available at: http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=11349.
Butin, D. W. (2002). “This Ain’t Talk Therapy: Problematizing and Extending Anti-Oppressive Education” In Educational Researcher. 31(3). pp. 14–16.
Butin, D. W. (2001). “If This is Resistance I Would Hate to See Domination: Retrieving Michel Foucault’s Notion of Resistance in Educational Research” In Educational Studies, 32(2), pp. 157–176.
