Ithaca College

The recently reorganized Office of Civic Engagement is pleased to announce its new leadership team. 

Laurie Worrall will be serving as the executive director, as announced in August. Dr. Worrall is currently the executive director of New York Campus Compact (NYCC), a statewide association of private, public and two-year higher education institutions committed to the public purpose of higher education. She brings over 20 years of experience in campus-community partnerships, academic program development, service-learning, and community engagement strategies. Prior to joining New York Campus Compact in 2010, she served as Associate Vice President in Academic Affairs and founding Executive Director of the Irwin W. Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning at DePaul University in Chicago and Dean of the McMaster School for Advancing Humanity at Defiance College in Ohio. Dr. Worrall will retain her position with NYCC while serving in her new role with the Office of Civic Engagement.

Patricia B. Spencer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Writing, has been selected as the Faculty Director of Service Learning, a new part-time leadership position in the Office of Civic Engagement. In addition to faculty development and outcome assessment experience, Professor Spencer brings a decade of successful community-based learning pedagogy in professional writing with over thirty community partners and 350 students from diverse majors to this mentoring role. Since 2010, she has also served as the Ithaca College representative in the Eastern Regional Consortium on Community-Based Learning, a group of twelve colleges and universities sharing promising practices through the sponsorship of The Teagle Foundation.  See the Ithaca Times cover story on her Proposal and Grant Writing course, May 2011, Ithaca, NY http://www.ithaca.com/news/article_5a4d3c32-8659-11e0-bb16-001cc4c03286.html

Don Austin has been appointed as OCE staff liaison. He currently serves as Assistant Director of Community Service in the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs. Mr. Austin oversees a variety of volunteer programs and projects, including the college's Alternative Break programs, advises several service-based student organizations, and promotes direct service among the student population. Mr. Austin is a two time alum of the Americorps program (06-07, 07-08), and is entering his fifth year in student affairs at Ithaca College.​