Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

W W W . P A C E . E D U / D Y S O N 29 In Brief: Center for Community Action and Research For more than a decade, the Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR) has built beneficial partnerships with community organizations and national civic engagement initiatives, and empowered students to get involved. Highlights from the 2019–20 academic year include: In recognition of their service and dedication to improving the quality of life in their communities, six members of the Dyson College community received Jefferson Awards for Public Service Bronze Medals: political science student Laurianne Gutierrez '20; Natalie Hernandez '20, majoring in digital journalism; Kaitlyn Houlihan '19, BA Political Science; Anne Toomey, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Science; Denise Santiago, director of Pace's Office of Multicultural Affairs and an adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology; and Laurie Brown Kindred, Pace School of Performing Arts production manager. On February 28, CCAR hosted "Debating for Democracy on the Road: An Activism Training with Beautiful Trouble," an all-day conference exploring the strategy of successful grassroots campaigns. The event drew more than 40 participants from both campuses as well as from Wagner College. Melanie LaRosa, an assistant professor in the media, communications, and visual arts department, was selected for the first cohort of the Mellon Periclean Faculty Leadership Program in the Humanities. This Project Pericles consortium program is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and was established to foster civic engagement in teaching and learning. LaRosa has received an award of $4,000 toward a multimedia storytelling course. Mellison Arguson '19, BA Communication Studies, received a Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship. " The Fulbright scholarship will allow me to explore the plastic pollution crisis in the Philippines and how it disproportionately affects people living in poverty," Arguson said. "I am Filipino American, and by carrying out research in the Philippines, I hope to become closer to my culture and use what I've learned throughout my education and professional experiences to help the country address its plastics crisis, and also the world's plastic pollution crisis at large." Standout Scholars Taslim Tavarez '18, BA Political Science, was selected as a Schwarzman Scholar, class of 2020–21. The prestigious program was established by business leader and philanthropist Stephen A. Schwarzman and launched in 2016 to provide the world's top students with academic, leadership, and networking opportunities.

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