|
HOW TO START A BARD COLLEGE CLEMENTE COURSE
INTRODUCTION
The Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities is a national program with headquarters at Bard and affiliated courses throughout the United States. Bard works with organizations and dedicated individuals throughout the country to lay the groundwork for creating new courses. Establishing a Clemente Course in a new community can be an important, rewarding experience, but it is also an endeavor that takes planning, determination, and the dedication – over many months – to bring to fruition all elements necessary for a course to take place. There are four key elements to creating a Clemente Course: 1) securing the necessary funding, 2) selecting an appropriate host organization (if the affiliate is not also the community host), 3) engaging a course director and faculty, and 4) successfully recruiting students.
"You hear about the thirst for knowledge. Well I've had a sip of clear water, and now I'm thirsting for a lot more."
New York City graduation, 2002, at Harlem Community Development Corporation. A graduate examines a book he received in the ceremony. The Library of America regularly awards all graduates with books. |
The first step in becoming an affiliate of the national Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities program is to complete and submit the Course Implementation Questionnaire (included in this section) which serves as an application. This information will help the national Clemente Course office evaluate the potential of a collaborative partnership in your community. In answering the questions about implementing a course, you will need to think through, research, and address the four key elements listed above. The following information will provide more details that will help you with the application process.
back to top
The Affiliate Relationship
While Bard welcomes and hopes to inspire the creation of humanities courses for low-income students, only programs officially affiliated with Bard may use the "Clemente Course" name and receive college credit from Bard.
"I had concepts in my mind, but I never analyzed them before. Every class has helped me clear my mind, get new words. When I finish the course, I will be able to think critically and help people make decisions."
Bard's sponsorship varies depending on the needs of a particular affiliate organization. Bard provides: an operations manual serving as a guide to course development, administration, and pedagogical technique; certificates of achievement to all students who complete the course, and six transferable college credits to those who have participated at a high academic level; the benefits of national initiatives including curriculum development, evaluation, sharing of information, and public relations; an annual review meeting bringing together course directors, faculty, administrators, funders, and other officials involved with the operation of Clemente Courses nationally; and various ongoing assistance with all aspects of the program. Often Bard also provides, depending on the needs of an affiliate: assistance with fundraising, targeting foundations and other sources, writing proposals and reports; review of host organization, course director, faculty, and course plans; recruitment and training of course director and faculty; assistance in the ordering of books and supplies through the Bard College bookstore; assistance with public relations; and the establishment of information sessions for students on applying to and financing college.
In this relationship, the affiliate generally agrees to: pay to Bard College an annual fee of $5,000 for ongoing technical and academic support, unless Bard has agreed to a partial or full waiver due to financial circumstances; design and implement a fundraising plan in collaboration with Bard College; select a host organization (if the affiliate is not also the community host) that will provide classroom space, childcare, carfare, social service referrals, administrative support, and actively participate in the recruitment process; submit for Bard College's approval the credentials of the course director and faculty as well as course plans and syllabi; provide program coordination; serve as fiscal agent; assist in the implementation of the national course evaluation; submit to Bard College interim and year end reports on the course for review.
back to top
Developing Community Support
Garnering community support can be accomplished through networking, creating innovative partnerships, and through the fundraising process itself. In some locations there have been formal presentations to invited groups that bring together representatives of the social service community, higher education institutions, potential funders, and influential individuals. More informal networking can also be beneficial, with presentations to coalitions of organizations serving low-income populations, groups of social workers, administrators and faculty members at colleges and universities, and individual funders. In some communities a more targeted approach has been successful where private meetings with a few key individuals have led to all the necessary connections for identifying the best host site and faculty as well as interested funders.
"Being in this class and learning about Plato-just to begin thinking about those things - really opens me up mentally to places I wouldn't have gone by myself. It enriches my life on a daily basis."
New York, faculty and students at the Roberto Clemente Center, 1999 |
A total of about $41,000 is normally required to fund a Bard College Clemente Course for an academic year. Clemente Course affiliates together with the host organization (when it differs from the affiliate) should devise a long-term fundraising plan to sustain the program. The affiliate should investigate a variety of local and national funding sources: foundations, corporations, small businesses, federal and state agencies, and private individuals. Some organizations are able to partially or fully fund the course from their annual operating budgets. Local colleges/universities and state humanities councils may also be able to provide support.
back to top
Selection of a Host Organization
Most Bard College Clemente Courses involve a collaboration between Bard College, the affiliate, and a community organization that hosts the course (at times, the affiliate is also the community host organization). The sharing of responsibilities for course implementation brings together the resources and expertise of each partner for the creation of a high quality academic program in a supportive environment with solid prospects for sustainable funding. Clemente Courses have been hosted by a variety of organizations. They can include youth service organizations, mental health and family guidance centers, innovative high schools that serve low-income populations with special needs, community health centers, community action agencies that operate programs such as Head Start, neighborhood centers, teen parenting programs, and religious centers. Bard's approval is required for the final selection of a host organization. In evaluating potential host organizations, the following criteria should be considered:
"Bard Clemente Course was a wonderful sharing of knowledge for those of us that would otherwise never have had this opportunity."
Location: The Clemente Course should be situated in a central location that is easily accessible by public transportation and one in which both students and faculty are comfortable coming to. Because classes are held in the evening, there should be adequate, well-lit parking facilities, if needed.
Facility: The host needs to provide a classroom that is large enough for 25 – 30 people to be seated around a seminar table, comfortable chairs, a black board or dry-erase board, good lighting, and an inviting atmosphere that is conducive to learning. The facility must either be open at night or provide easy after-hours access.
Student Recruitment: The host should have a substantial number of potential Clemente students among the constituents it directly serves as well as the ability to network with other organizations to recruit students from the surrounding community.
Administrative Support: A staff member should be available to work with the Clemente Course director to provide for the needs of the class as they arise throughout the year, solve problems, help in making social service referrals, deal with course-related financial matters, oversee student recruitment, and serve as liaison with the organization's administration and board. Further staff support is needed for scheduling admission interviews and some secretarial tasks.
Fundraising: It is important that the host organization be in a sufficiently sound financial position to collaborate with Bard College in securing funding for a sustainable program. Either the organization's director or development staff must be willing and able to devote time to raise funds specifically for the Clemente Course.
Mission: It is essential that there be a good fit between the host organization's mission and the goals of the program and a clear understanding of the benefits that hosting a successful Clemente Course can bring to the organization. The Clemente Course should be embraced as one of the host's own programs.
back to top
Selection of a Course Director
New York City graduation, 1998, LaDedra Brown addresses fellow graduates |
The course director is a key figure in the success of a Clemente Course, simultaneously playing the roles of teacher, administrator, mentor, confidant, and advocate. The director attends every class to support both faculty and students, insure that high academic standards and decorum are maintained, see that students' problems are addressed, and that administrative tasks and unexpected contingencies are taken care of.
"People feel hopeless when they feel like they don't have the same opportunities as others."
Qualifications: The director is required to have an advanced degree in the humanities, preferably a Ph.D. It is also expected that the director teach one of the sections of the course. The director should be warm and approachable, someone the students trust enough to talk with about both the difficulties in their lives and problems that they may be having with the course. S/he must be caring and compassionate, respectful of the students' abilities and potential, and firm in his/her expectations of both faculty and student performance. A basic level of administrative skills is also required to insure that the course runs smoothly, careful records are kept, and timely reports are provided to Bard College. Usually, the job of course director is a quarter-time position with a yearly compensation of $10,000, plus another $3,000 for teaching one of the course sections.
Responsibilities:
- Attends all classes (two evenings a week)
- Recruits, selects, and coordinates faculty schedules
- Recruits, interviews, and orients students
- Establishes the academic calendar, coordinates assignments, and orders books
- Provides oversight of quality and effectiveness of classes
- Supports students through mentoring, problem solving, advocacy, and help with social service support
- Serves as liaison with host organization, ensuring that the classroom is ready, childcare and transportation provisions have been made, and faculty payments are processed
- Keeps records and submits reports to Bard College
- Represents the course to the community and arranges for the support of educational institutions, arts organizations, social service agencies, and the media
- If funding allows, attends the annual meeting of course directors
back to top
Selection of Faculty
David Shein, Bard Dean of Lower College Studies, and Poughkeepsie Clemente Course Director, addresses the class of 2000 |
The success of the Clemente Course hinges, to a large degree, on finding the best possible faculty through a careful search that takes into account personality and teaching style as well as academic credentials. Because Clemente Course instructors possess other important qualities besides academic credentials, the positions are generally not widely advertised in traditional ways. It has proven to be more efficient and effective to ask for personal referrals from people who understand the type of individual sought. Department chairs, faculty members, or humanities center staff at colleges and universities are often in a good position to recommend prospective instructors who would be first-rate, interested, and available. Potential candidates may include active professors at local colleges, upper-level graduate students, and scholars working in community organizations such as art or historical museums. The selection of all faculty and their course plans and syllabi must be approved by Bard College.
"In high school, I was on the honor roll, but didn't have money to go to college. I saw the brochure. It said free and I thought it had to have a gimmick. When I got the call for my interview, I ran out and bought notebooks. At the interview, I was fumbling like a fourth grader, and Dr. Evans calmed me down. She called me back, and I cried and cried. My parents didn't get to go to college."
Qualifications: Five instructors are needed to teach classes in literature, moral philosophy, art history, American history, and critical writing and thinking. Course instructors are required to have an M.A. or Ph.D. in a humanities discipline and to be experienced teachers. The instructor must be in command of his/her field and adept at engaging the students, responding to them in a meaningful way, and handling the group dynamics in a classroom that has students with a wide range of skills and abilities. S/he should have a warm personality, a sincere regard for the students, a passion for his/her field, an ability to communicate the excitement of the material, and a teaching style that balances getting the material across with drawing out the students in discussion.
The five classes rotate through the academic year, each meeting for eleven, two-hour sessions. Faculty compensation is usually $3,000 for teaching one of the five sections.
back to top
|
