In 1998, Elizabeth “Betsy” Banks came to Case Western Reserve University to manage an AmeriCorps environmental education grant program on campus. She figured the position would be a rewarding—but brief—experience because the grant funding was only guaranteed for four months. But more than 16 years later, Banks, now director of the Center for Civic Engagement & Learning (CCEL), is an integral part of the university community.
Before coming to CWRU, Banks worked for The Nature Conservancy and Student Conservation Association, bouncing around seven states (California, Maine, Michigan, Wyoming, Nevada, Florida and Kentucky) as she organized environmental conservation projects and educated students and volunteers in places like Yellowstone National Park and the Everglades.
Banks’ expertise in environmental education and volunteer management made her an ideal choice to manage the AmeriCorps program—focused on Cleveland watersheds—at CWRU.
After the program’s initial funding, successful grant applications kept the AmeriCorps program thriving for seven more years.
Banks since has taken on roles in CCEL, which links campus to the local community by facilitating curricular, co-curricular and community-based opportunities for Case Western Reserve undergraduate, graduate and professional school students. Over the years, she has advanced to a director position and now works with a three-person staff in the new CCEL office in the Tinkham Veale University Center.
“Our office is small, but mighty,” she said. “Our goal is to provide and support opportunities for students to get engaged in community. We want students to, as our tagline states, ‘break out of the bubble’ and understand that they’re also part of the larger Cleveland community.”
The center provides many short-term and semester-long opportunities for students to become engaged with the surrounding community through service programs that promote partnership, awareness, and learning.
One such program is CCEL Serves—a flexible program for those unable to make a long-term service commitment. Each week, an assigned CCEL Student Site Coordinator accompanies volunteers to various nonprofit partner organizations for a few hours of service activities such as serving community meals, assisting adults to achieve their GED, tutoring elementary school students, and sorting donations at the Cleveland Food Bank.
Other opportunities include the Civic Engagement Scholars Program in which students commit to a year of service, Saturdays of Service, alternative spring break trips, and more. CCEL also supports faculty with academic service-learning and advises community-based capstone courses.
“We feel it’s important for our students to recognize the assets and wisdom within the community. There is a lot to learn and experience from the community and its members—knowledge that can’t always be taught in the classroom,” Banks said. “Our programs also put students in leadership positions, allowing them to develop their skills as thoughtful, active citizens.”
Next Friday, Jan. 16, CCEL will collaborate with the Career Center to present the Community Service and Internship Fair, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Tinkham Veale University Center ballroom. The fair will feature more than 50 nonprofit and student organizations highlighting volunteer and internship opportunities for the spring semester.
“It is so rewarding to watch students have a transformational experience,” Banks said. “We have had students change majors or career paths due to their service experiences and go on to do things they never expected they would, such as earning a Fulbright or joining the Peace Corps. The experiences our students have are powerful and inspiring, and it’s these experiences that keep us going.”
Learn more about CCEL at students.case.edu/civicengagement/, or stop by the CCEL office—Tinkham Veale University Center, Suite 165—for more information about upcoming service opportunities.
And, of course, find out more about Banks in this week’s five questions.
1. What is your preferred mode of transportation and why?
I love to walk. It helps you slow down and appreciate the world around you.
2. What’s next on your reading list?
I’ve started but want to finish Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology.
3. What has been the most rewarding moment for you while at Case Western Reserve University?
There are many, but one standout was when I was leading an alternative spring break trip to Cumberland Island National Seashore as part of a capstone class. I had a student who had never been to the ocean. To watch the expression on the student’s face when he saw the ocean for the first time and waded into the water was priceless.
4. If you had a day to do whatever you wanted, how would you spend it?
If distance didn’t matter, I’d do two of my favorite things—hiking and photography—in two of my favorite places: Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the coast of Maine. Then I’d have dinner with friends and family around picnic tables at an outdoor lobster pound before teleporting back to Cleveland for ice cream at Mitchell’s.
5. What is your favorite thing about Case Western Reserve?
The fact that it’s in Cleveland! Great universities have a strong sense of place and are committed to their communities. I’m excited that CCEL gets to be a part of that process. A connection and understanding of Cleveland makes us better neighbors and enhances the university and the experiences of students, faculty and staff at CWRU.