To date, 60 Maryland teachers have been trained in
the Dependable Strengths process for high schools.
Dependable Strengths is also a core component of
Personal Direction in Stevenson University’s Career
Architecture model.
In the first year of grant, four lesson plans were developed and delivered to 40 Maryland teachers during
the first annual CRD Summer Institute in August 2014.
An additional six lesson plans are being developed and
piloted for year two. A resource website was also designed and launched in the summer of 2014 for teachers
to access curriculum and materials.
Discipline Expertise: Service-Learning in the
Classroom
Service-learning at Stevenson allows students to apply
the knowledge and skills that they have learned in the
classroom to meet genuine needs in the community,
while being mentored and supported by faculty and staff
members. Stevenson students are actively engaged in
service-learning and their participation in these authentic, hands-on experiences help students become competent and competitive in their respective fields.
For example, the School of Design incorporated servicelearning in their Film and Sponsored Video classes by
having their students use their technical filmmaking skills
to create informational or promotional videos for local
nonprofit community partners. Meanwhile, their Event
Planning and Publicity students organized a Color Run
on campus to raise awareness and funds to support
another non-profit. The School of Humanities and Social
Sciences integrated service-learning by having their
Public History students conduct archival work, which
included the transcription of documents from the War of
1812 in support of the Baltimore City Archives and locating photos of Maryland service members for the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Fund’s Virtual Wall of Faces.
Students in the Psychology of Women class further
learn about the social, biological, and psychological
influences on women and their development through
their volunteer experiences with various nonprofit
organizations that assist women seeking asylum, those
who have faced domestic abuse, and/or those women
and children who are homeless and have suffered the
effects of poverty. In addition, the School of Business
and Leadership had their Law Clinic students assist with
pro bono legal services in the area of family law, and
their Information Systems students installed a computer
lab in a disadvantaged school.
These are just a few examples of how Stevenson students are engaged in authentic experiences which help
them become skilled in relating theory with practice,
ultimately, making them experts in their discipline and
enhancing their employment opportunities.
Professional Know-How: Exploring Careers in
Psychology and Human Services
The Career Opportunities for Psychology and Human
Services Program was a collaboration between Career
Services and the Psychology and Human Services Departments within the School of Humanities and Social
Sciences. The goal of the program was to highlight
diverse career opportunities for Psychology and Human Services majors. Panelists from Catholic Charities,
National Alliance of Mental Illness, National Center of
Institutions and Alternatives, Hearts and Homes for
Youth, and Celebree Learning Centers discussed what
skills they were looking for in Human Services and
Psychology majors and the opportunities that were
available in those organizations. They also provided
candid advice on the job search process as well as being successful in the workplace. Networking followed,
which gave more than 60 students and 15 organizations
the opportunity to meet with each other. One hundred
percent of the students who completed the evaluations
indicated that they would recommend this program to
another student. In the words of Jacque Middlebrooks,
HR Recruiting Specialist of World Relief, “It is great to
see a university truly investing in the professional development of its students. The networking event provided
a great opportunity for employers to connect with
Stevenson’s pool of talented, passionate, and professionally prepared students.”