Al-Quds Bard Civic Engagement and Invisible University for Ukraine Win 2024 MacJannet Prizes
Students from Al-Quds Bard Civic Engagement Program in Palestine and from the Invisible University for Ukraine at Central European University pose for group portraits.
Al-Quds Bard Civic Engagement Program at Al-Quds Bard College in Palestine won first place for $10,000 in the 2024 MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship, and Invisible University for Ukraine at Central European University in Austria won second place for $7,500. Established by the Talloires Network and the MacJannet Foundation, the prizes recognize exceptional student community engagement initiatives at Talloires Network member universities and financially support their ongoing public service efforts.
“At a moment of intense challenge for the Palestinian people, Al-Quds Bard students have risen to the occasion and renewed their longtime commitment to civic engagement,” said Daniel Terris, dean of Al-Quds Bard College. “I am proud that the MacJannet Prize has honored our students’ steadfast commitment to principled action on behalf of their besieged communities.”
Al-Quds Bard (AQB) Civic Engagement Program considers civic engagement a fundamental and inseparable part of a liberal arts education. The AQB Civic Engagement Program aims to increase the capacity of the College to operate in the public interest by supporting faculty and students to link classroom and community, and enabling students with the theory and skills to be civically engaged, to develop and organize projects to bring about meaningful and positive changes in society, and to and realize their full potential as community actors and educators in shaping their future, the future of Palestine, and the world.
Despite the difficulty of the political developments in Palestine, the College was determined to maintain a lively civic engagement program, and after several pilot activities, took steps to respond to the crisis by developing a Student Network for Civic Engagement, launched in February 2024 in coordination with the student leaders and the Steering Committee on Civic Engagement, as an online network to coordinate between in-person student work based in various regions and cities.
The Invisible University for Ukraine (IUFU) at Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, Austria, which won second place, is a student-led hybrid academic program in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Through accredited online courses, immersive in-person seminars, and a vibrant peer learning community, IUFU empowers Ukrainian students to continue their studies and pursue their aspirations, regardless of their location or circumstances. IUFU emerged as a collaborative effort among scholars, aiming to extend the university’s academic environment to Ukrainian students and scholars following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Recognizing the importance of involving Ukrainian experts, the program seeks to establish a global platform for scholarly dialogue amidst the ongoing conflict.
Post Date: 06-17-2024
“At a moment of intense challenge for the Palestinian people, Al-Quds Bard students have risen to the occasion and renewed their longtime commitment to civic engagement,” said Daniel Terris, dean of Al-Quds Bard College. “I am proud that the MacJannet Prize has honored our students’ steadfast commitment to principled action on behalf of their besieged communities.”
Al-Quds Bard (AQB) Civic Engagement Program considers civic engagement a fundamental and inseparable part of a liberal arts education. The AQB Civic Engagement Program aims to increase the capacity of the College to operate in the public interest by supporting faculty and students to link classroom and community, and enabling students with the theory and skills to be civically engaged, to develop and organize projects to bring about meaningful and positive changes in society, and to and realize their full potential as community actors and educators in shaping their future, the future of Palestine, and the world.
Despite the difficulty of the political developments in Palestine, the College was determined to maintain a lively civic engagement program, and after several pilot activities, took steps to respond to the crisis by developing a Student Network for Civic Engagement, launched in February 2024 in coordination with the student leaders and the Steering Committee on Civic Engagement, as an online network to coordinate between in-person student work based in various regions and cities.
The Invisible University for Ukraine (IUFU) at Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, Austria, which won second place, is a student-led hybrid academic program in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Through accredited online courses, immersive in-person seminars, and a vibrant peer learning community, IUFU empowers Ukrainian students to continue their studies and pursue their aspirations, regardless of their location or circumstances. IUFU emerged as a collaborative effort among scholars, aiming to extend the university’s academic environment to Ukrainian students and scholars following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Recognizing the importance of involving Ukrainian experts, the program seeks to establish a global platform for scholarly dialogue amidst the ongoing conflict.
Post Date: 06-17-2024