Engage for Change
Since its inception in 1992, the Jepson School of Leadership Studies has been a pioneer of community-based learning at the University of Richmond. So, it was not surprising when in 2004, Douglas Hicks, then a Jepson School associate professor and now the president of Davidson College, became the founding director of the University’s Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). Twenty years later, when the CCE hosted its annual Engage for Change Awards celebration on Sept. 24, 2024, Hicks would have been proud to see individuals and a group associated with the Jepson School among the dozen honorees.
Senior Nolan Richards, a leadership studies and business administration double major, received a Service for Change Award in recognition of his efforts as president of the Richmond chapter of the national service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. He volunteers regularly at a local retirement home, a hospital guest house, and a historic African-American cemetery, among other places.
"My community has invested so much into my success,” he said. “It is beyond rewarding to find an inclusive group where I can give back alongside my friends while helping brighten the days of others. I hope my story will inspire more to find ways to do the same."
That spirit of giving to, and receiving from, the community echoed throughout the awards ceremony.
In accepting her Community-Engaged Teaching Award, Kristin Bezio said, “I engage with the community because I think it is critically important that we make the things we do matter not only inside the classroom, but outside it, as well.” For more than 10 years, the leadership studies professor and Jepson School associate dean of academic affairs has taught Leadership on Stage and Screen. The course connects her students with community members in the production of a Shakespeare play, while also involving them in social justice discussions.
Tom Shields, Jepson School associate professor of leadership studies and School of Professional and Continuing Studies associate professor of education, received a Community-Engaged Scholarship Award. He co-authored, along with Virginia Commonwealth University scholars and nonprofit community partners, the report “Can We Learn and Live Together? 2.0: Housing and School Segregation in the Richmond Region.” Released on Oct. 3, 2024, at a community-wide housing and education forum hosted on the University campus, the report examines the interconnectivity of housing and education segregation in metropolitan Richmond. Shields also serves on the advisory team for Unpacking the Census, a project of the University and the nonprofit Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities that examines structural inequality through census research.
“Our Richmond community has historical, economic, political, and societal issues that are deep and that need to be addressed,” he said. “As a teacher-scholar at the University, I believe it is my job to help highlight and find solutions for these public policy problems.”
The evening’s final award, a Collaboration for Change Award, went to the Richmond chapter of the Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI). Founded by leadership studies professor Peter Kaufman in 2001, the nonprofit promotes college access and preparation by pairing Latinx high school students with college student mentors.
The three SLI college mentors who accepted the award on behalf of the chapter — Richmond students Ángel-Xavier Elizondo, ’25, Luis Montano, ’25, and Denis Velazquez-Mondragon, ’26 — shared their inspiration for mentoring: “We are motivated by a desire to contribute, foster connections, and create positive, shared growth. The satisfaction of helping others, especially those in the shoes we once wore, and learning from collective experiences drive meaningful interactions.”
As the CCE celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, the Jepson School anticipates collaborating with it on many more community-engagement initiatives that extend active learning and scholarship well beyond the walls of the traditional classroom.