FSCJ Receives Fund for Positive Engagement Award and Announces Community Event with Rashean Mathis

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) is one of 40 institutions to receive the Fund for Positive Engagement Award from Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education to bring people together across lines of difference.

The purpose of the Fund for Positive Engagement is to catalyze experiments in bridging divisions among people and groups in communities across the country.

FSCJ will utilize the funding from this award to fund a partnership with the Rashean Mathis Foundation to launch Bridging the Divide, a new initiative that will explore the varying issues that create division and conflict throughout our community.

On October 12, Former Jacksonville Jaguars Cornerback Rashean Mathis will share his story of growing up in Jacksonville and how the community supported him along his path to a successful football career, and even now as he forges his plan for the future.

Along with a panel of faculty, students and local community members, attendees will have the opportunity to join the dialogue to explore ways the community can work together to better connect the city’s four quadrants.

The event will take place October 12 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at FSCJ’s Downtown Campus located at 101 W. State Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202.

Within the classroom setting, FSCJ students will build upon the discussion and insight gained to develop solutions for better unity and prosperity.

Attendees should reserve a spot by October 9, 2017. Click here to register.

“At FSCJ we feel it is imperative to continuously find ways to creatively collaborate with our community partners and business leaders to combine the needs of our diverse community with the talents of our students, faculty and staff,” said FSCJ President Dr. Cynthia Bioteau. “The Fund for Positive Engagement Award provides us the resources to initiate such a rewarding change agent in our community and provide a safe forum for conversation, and we are fortunate to receive this funding.”   

"I love Jacksonville. I was raised here, attended Duval County Public Schools and am proud to make it my home. I envision a united Jacksonville and I'm committed to doing my part to help us achieve it."

The selection process was highly competitive as Campus Compact received nearly 300 submissions from institutions across the country. Two thirds of the reviewers were students in Campus Compact’s Newman Civic Fellows program. Proposals were judged based on the strength of the idea, its practicality, and the degree to which it will be possible to measure success, among other criteria.

“We wanted to create an incentive for colleges and universities to come up with creative responses to the challenges they are seeing,” said Andrew Seligsohn, president of Campus Compact. “We have been hearing from our member colleges and universities that students and community members cannot hold conversations with people with differing political views. Immigrant and Muslim students are afraid to express their views. Many community members see universities as completely separate universes with different values. We invited our members to propose steps to break through those divides, and we are excited by the proposals that came back.”

For more information and full list of recipients, visit compact.org/fund-positive-engagement.

About FSCJ

Known as “the community’s college,” Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) exists to provide valuable, high-quality learning opportunities to anyone with the desire to enhance themselves through the pursuit of higher education. Serving more than 50,000 students and awarding more than 8,600 degrees and certificates on an annual basis, the College plays a significant role in supplying the region’s employers with a highly skilled, educated workforce.

About Campus Compact
Campus Compact is a coalition of 1000+ colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. As the largest national organization dedicated to this mission, Campus Compact is a leader in building community engagement into campus and academic life.  For more information, visit www.compact.org and follow @Campus_Compact on Twitter.