Bonner Center for Civic Engagement receives $250,000 grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations for community-based learning

April 6, 2012

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations have awarded University of Richmond’s Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) a $250,000 grant to further community-based learning and increase overall campus engagement in the community.

The CCE uses community-based learning courses to tie classwork into real-world experience, allowing students to cultivate an awareness of the Richmond community through their studies. Examples of current courses include:

  • The Latin American and Iberian studies department’s “Spanish in the Community” course, in which students translate for Spanish-speaking immigrants in local medical clinics
  • A Robins School of Business’ introductory statistics class, which uses data from local organizations instead of data examples from textbooks. Students present their findings to participating organizations.

In addition, the CCE assists in interdisciplinary engagement and supporting community-based research.

The grant will be used to further those and other efforts, including increasing the number of teaching fellowships available for community-based learning courses and implementing preliminary and advanced fellowship tracks to promote engagement among faculty regardless of their familiarity with the community.

The grant also will be used to create assessment tools tracking the impact of Richmond’s community engagement, as well as form a new learning community in which students will work with faculty and civic-partners in applied research of needs in the city.

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations based in Jacksonville, Florida, are a national philanthropic organization established through the generosity of the late American Industrialist, Arthur Vining Davis.  The Foundations currently provide grants supporting private higher education, religion, secondary education, health care, and public television.