• keeneland hall
• typical room layout
• center for community outreach

The Civic Engagement Community is designed to connect first-year students interested in community service and civic engagement. Students in this Living Learning Community will be enrolled in a Discovery Seminar 'Building Communities & Making a Difference.' For the fall semester, a wide variety of community service projects are offered! In the spring semester, students participate in a more focused community service project. To be a part of Civic Engagement means you are committed to making your first year here at UK more memorable. Being part of Civic Engagement is much more than a personal endeavor, but rather a contribution to your development and to the UK community as a whole. Monthly meetings are offered and student input is strongly encouraged! Many opportunities will be available to you - these are great ways to give back to the UK and Lexington community as well as great opportunity for personal growth and reflection.

courseinformation

Course Information

DSP 110-008 Building Communities & Making a Difference
Beth Mills
T 3:30-5:20 pm & R 3:30-4:20 pm

Note: This course‚ together with any 3 credit hour course in any of the Social Sciences‚ at any level‚ will fulfill the USP Disciplinary Requirement in the Social Sciences.

This seminar is for students who are interested in self-discovery and learning more about their roles in shaping the communities of which they are a part (i.e.‚ residence halls‚ classrooms‚ university campus and the surrounding community‚ hometowns‚ work environments). John Dewey‚ a philosopher and educator‚ considered the purpose of a community to be supporting the self-development of each of its members. He also thought that without our communities‚ personal growth would be impossible since he believed learning and self-improvement occurred in response to our connections with each other and our surroundings. Everyone both benefits from and contributes to the well being of our community; each person is important to its success‚ and can make a difference. Students will learn about ways they can build‚ strengthen and utilize societal connections and resources within the University and in the public realm. They will have opportunities to explore and enhance their own abilities‚ strengths‚ and skills in developing and creating successful communities through discussion of experiences‚ films and readings‚ self-reflection‚ as well as through participation in community service projects and field trips. These activities will help students consider the ways in which they can play a part in building the strong‚ positive social resources within a community that is supportive of individual growth and that contributes to the well-being of others. Students will also have an opportunity to actively get involved in community service activities.

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Beth Mills received her BASW from the University of Kentucky in 1977, her MSW from the University of Kentucky in 1995. Prior to joining the clinical faculty at UK, Ms. Mills was the Director of the Lexington Senior Citizens Center, Director of Urban County Government Division of Adult Services, and Interim Commissioner of Urban County Government Department of Social Services.

Currently, Ms. Mills is the Project Director of the Hartford Practicum Partnership Program administered by the New York Academy of Medicine. Her University partnerships include serving on the planning committee for the annual Sanders-Brown Summer Series on Aging and serving as the College liaison with UK’s six health colleges to plan the annual cultural competency conference and efforts that encourage and foster interdisciplinary clinical education. Her community partnerships include Board Chair of the Virginia Place One-Parent Facility, Member of the Bluegrass Domestic Violence Prevention Board, and Member of the Bluegrass Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council.

enews

eNews

The Civic Engagement Living Learning Community has its very own newsletter for members! To take a peek at this exclusive resource... click on the images below. Newsletters are distributed each month and provide interesting articles, important academic updates/information, a calendar of campus and Lexington events, volunteer opportunities, and so much more! The best part is, students can contribute articles, events, letters to the editor, etc. The Civic Engagement LLC Newsletter is unique to the needs and interests of its members - no other newsletter out there is like this one! Check it out!