President's Report - Johnson C. Smith University

President’s Report 2010-2011Center for Applied Leadership and Community Development raisesthe bar on community engagement14Since its inception in 2009, the Center for AppliedLeadership and Community Development (CALCD)has served more than 3,000people, held 30 trainings andworkshops and developedmore than 50 partnershipswith local groups. Trustand communication haveincreased with residents inthe Beatties Ford Road/Northwest Corridor, as wellas across the Charlotte andMecklenburg County region.Community engagementalso has been enhanced byan award-winning studentcommunity service program where curricular and cocurricularactivities are combined to expand learningexperiences.The center is in the early stages of implementing aPublic Leadership Development Program througha $250,000 grant from the James S. and John L.Knight Foundation. Five students are participating asKnight Fellows in Phase I of the grant’s pilot program,serving as researchers under a partnership with CityCouncilman James Mitchell and the National Leagueof Cities.Other grants have been awarded to develop additionalprograms. Another Public Leadership DevelopmentProgram has been made possible, enabling the centerto administer the Mecklenburg African-AmericanCommunity Fund and oversee its giving activities tolocal non profit organizations.In response to current issues in public education, thecenter provided technical assistance to the Coalitionfor Strengthening Community Education in Charlottein its mission to educate parents and the communityabout issues of inclusion, diversity and equity as itrelates to the public education system in Charlotte.In January 2011, the coalition held a gathering of172 parents and other interested residents, includingMayor Anthony Foxx, County Commissioner JenniferRoberts and County Commissioner Vilma Leake.The Center forApplied Leadershipand CommunityDevelopment continuesto help the Universityassist 12 neighborhoodsnear campus withrevitalization effortsthrough a $600,000grant from the U.S.Department ofHousing and UrbanDevelopment–Office ofUniversity Partnership. Seven of the 15 homes to berenovated have been completed.During 2010-2011, 87 individuals completed therequirements for personal money management andhome buyers education programs offered throughthe center. This program is also provided through theHUD partnership.The Women Entrepreneur Program at the center serveswomen in the Northwest Corridor and at Johnson C.Smith University who are operating or want to starta micro-enterprise or small business. The curriculumincludes topics from finance for small business ownersto creating a meaningful brand. In 2010-2011, thecenter graduated 32 women entrepreneurs who havestarted or are operating small businesses.Through the Off-Duty Officer Patrol Program,off-duty Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Departmentofficers were hired to address some of the high crimeareas within the service area and close proximity tocampus. A database was created to track the types ofincidents and percentages of decrease and/or increasein crime and incidents along the corridor. During2010-2011, 11 officers logged 1,377 patrol hours,working with neighborhood leaders and residents toidentify and cover areas that have potential for crimeand incidents.