Wake Forest University
IN-25: Innovation B

Celebrating its 20th year in 2018, the university has sponsored the Academic and Community Engagement (ACE) Fellows program for faculty members interested in incorporating service-learning into new or existing courses. The program incentivizes course development through workshops and stipends to implement a service learning course that enhances teaching and enriches learning. Many faculty who have created sustainability courses have also worked through the ACE Fellows Program to create engaged learning opportunities for students. This results in myriad opportunities for students to make the most of the campus and local community as living learning labs for sustainability.

Recently, a two-year cohort of mid-career faculty ACE Fellows has worked in an entirely place-based context with the university's formal community sustainability partner, the Boston Thurmond Neighborhood. At the conclusion of their first year this cohort presented research, scholarship, and engaged teaching projects that integrate their own interests with stated gaps and goals in Boston Thurmond. Resident leaders in Boston Thurmond have been a part of the governance of these efforts, most notably serving on the selection committee for the ACE Fellows cohort. Information about this community partnership is available in EN-10 Community Partnerships. Faculty have started an after school literacy program and a elementary science olympiad team, both at title 1 schools, as well as worked with community residents on strategies for better data collection and broad-ranging partnership development.