Philosophy professor Dr. Tom Buller has been awarded the 2023 Civic Engagement Fellowship for faculty/staff by the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). Sophomore Aubrey Richter was named the Student Civic Engagement Fellow.
CCE launched the Civic Engagement Fellowship program in 2022 to advance the support for the University’s core value of civic engagement.
“We are excited to offer these fellowships, which give faculty and students the chance to engage in research related to civic education and to use that knowledge to enhance students’ civic competency,” said Dr. Katy Strzepek, director of CCE.
Buller’s project, “Diversity and Responsibility in Civic Engagement,” seeks to increase diversity among students participating in the Alternative Breaks (AB) program. “In my experience—and I think that this is generally the case—the majority of students who participate are white, and this leads some to view these programs as ‘white savior’ projects. To provide all of our students with the opportunity to participate in the AB program, and to help correct this perception, we need to do a better job of including students from underrepresented groups.”
Another aspect of the project is to put together resources about the social, cultural, historical context of the communities served.
“Last year I was the faculty advisor on an AB trip to Kenya,” Buller said. “I had never been to Africa and I suspect that, like me, the rest of our team had limited knowledge of the culture and history of Kenya. The more we know about Kenya, and the more we know about the environmental concerns affecting the Mississippi for the Living Lands and Waters project, the more that we will be able to work with the communities who host these trips and to learn from them.”
The professor’s research will begin by consulting with students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups to identify factors that influence the decision to participate, and then to develop strategies to increase the diversity of AB trip participants. A key aspect is to identify local and global projects that are viewed as particularly important.
“The goal is this time next year, when we look at enrollment, our AB teams will be more diverse and participants will have more resources available about the communities with which we are engaging.
“The Kenya trip last year was life-changing for all of us who were fortunate enough to participate. I think we have an obligation to ensure that this type of experience is possible for any ISU student.”
Student fellow Richter, whose interests are public health and sociology, will work with Buller on the project.
“This perfectly aligns with public health,” she said. “I hope to work in the areas of accessibility and inclusion, so I’m really excited to be involved in this project.”
