Levels and networks in community partnerships: A framework informed by our overseas partners

The literature defines successful university-community partnerships as those that are long-term, deep, and multi-dimensional. Our findings, on the contrary, suggest that partnership success can occur at all levels of intensity. Lower-intensity partnerships often contribute crucially to the overall success of the community engagement project, and function as necessary support scaffolding for higher-level partnerships. Relatively few studies have sought to understand university-community partnerships from the perspectives of community partners, so we draw evidence from interviews with our partners in the Eastern Caribbean country of Dominica. We believe instructors can increase the success of their off-campus teaching by deploying our conceptualization of partnership levels and scaffolding

Equity in International Experiential Learning: Assessing Benefits to Students and Host Communities

This research uses participant observation and other qualitative methods to evaluate whether faculty-led short-term study abroad programs can successfully carry out responsible ‘fair trade’, and thereby substantially benefit not only students but also the host communities. The research draws insights by comparing two experiential learning courses taught in South Africa and Dominica. Results suggest that students benefit in various transformative ways in both courses, by applying sustainability and development studies concepts to real-life service and hands-on learning in cross-cultural situations. The Dominica course yields more host community benefits, however, because of the instructors’ long-term commitments to reciprocal partnerships and equitable engagement. The paper concludes with recommendations for enhancing the impacts of short-term study abroad on students and, especially, on their host communities

Geolocator Data Reveal The Migration Route And Wintering Location Of A Caribbean Martin (Progne Dominicensis)

Caribbean Martins (Progne dominicensis) are common breeders on most Caribbean islands, where they regularly roost and nest in urban areas from February through August. However, from September through January, the basic ecology of this species--its migration and wintering locations--are largely unknown. In 2012, we deployed seven geolocators, and in 2014, we recovered one geolocator from a female Caribbean Martin on the Commonwealth of Dominica, a small eastern Caribbean island. Her wintering location was the western portion of the State of Bahia, Brazil, ~3550 km southeast of Dominica. Although the location of the non-breeding grounds changed minimally, the fall departure date, migration route, and length of migration to western Bahia, Brazil, was different between years. In October 2012, the female followed a coastal migration route along the Atlantic coast of South America, then flew south to the non-breeding grounds. However in Oct 2013, she flew south from Dominica through Guyana, spent a few days in the Amazon rain forest, and then migrated southeast to the non-breeding grounds. These results provide insight into the repeatability of migration routes and wintering locations by this species, and serves as a first step in better understanding the Caribbean Martin\u27s full life-cycle

A taxonomic backbone for the global synthesis of species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales

The Caryophyllales constitute a major lineage of flowering plants with approximately 12500 species in 39 families. A taxonomic backbone at the genus level is provided that reflects the current state of knowledge and accepts 749 genera for the order. A detailed review of the literature of the past two decades shows that enormous progress has been made in understanding overall phylogenetic relationships in Caryophyllales. The process of re-circumscribing families in order to be monophyletic appears to be largely complete and has led to the recognition of eight new families (Anacampserotaceae, Kewaceae, Limeaceae, Lophiocarpaceae, Macarthuriaceae, Microteaceae, Montiaceae and Talinaceae), while the phylogenetic evaluation of generic concepts is still well underway. As a result of this, the number of genera has increased by more than ten percent in comparison to the last complete treatments in the Families and genera of vascular plants” series. A checklist with all currently accepted genus names in Caryophyllales, as well as nomenclatural references, type names and synonymy is presented. Notes indicate how extensively the respective genera have been studied in a phylogenetic context. The most diverse families at the generic level are Cactaceae and Aizoaceae, but 28 families comprise only one to six genera. This synopsis represents a first step towards the aim of creating a global synthesis of the species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales integrating the work of numerous specialists around the world

Maidenforming the Caribbean: concerns about Jamaica's industrial export promotion policy

'Maidenforming the Caribbean' is a phrase used to describe the way that neo-liberal industrial development, involving public subsidies, foreign investors and markets, and low wage and unorganized female labour, is transforming Caribbean Basin countries. This process began with the collapse of traditional Caribbean and Central American exports over the last two decades. The collapse shifted government attention towards new development strategies such as attracting multinational manufacturers to produce for export. A marked shift in regional exports has indeed followed. From 1984 to 1990, manufactured goods grew from 22 percent to 50 percent of all exports from Caribbean and Central American countries to the United States. Among Caribbean Basin countries, Jamaica has been one of the most aggressive adopters of an industrial export development strategy. This paper reviews Jamaica's industrial policy with a focus on the nationality of investors. the products exported, and the public costs. Results are at best mixed, with much foreign production, modest local industrial development, and large public subsidies built into the programme. The policy is good for diversifying economic activity and for increasing the country's international economic integration. However, the regressive and concentrated distribution of benefits and the large public subsidies raise concerns about whether such a publicly-administered development programme is capable of distributing benefits widely and fairly within the host country. This Jamaican case study suggests that the main beneficiaries of the Maidenforming process are located beyond the confines ofthe host country

International Civic Engagement: From Development Studies and Service-Learning, to Miami University-Dominica Partnerships

<p>During the past four years, faculty, students, and staff from Miami University have been cultivating civic engagement relationships with citizens of the Commonwealth of Dominica, in the Eastern Caribbean. For members of the Miami University community, this has been an effort to create opportunities for learning and scholarship through partnerships with people in the Global South who are working for community empowerment, progressive change, and sustainable development. For our Dominican counterparts, benefits include financial inputs, manual labor, relevant research projects, and an outside interest in contributing positively to ameliorating their community challenges. We work to base the Miami University-Dominica relationships on trust, long-term commitment, and mutuality, so that the benefits go back and forth in myriad ways. The result has been a set of relationships across international borders and cultural differences that is more fulfilling for both sides than typical study abroad, research, or ecotourism encounters in the Global South. This paper describes the conceptual underpinnings of this international civic engagement, and recounts three examples of the kinds of community groups and activities that the partnerships involve. We also note where the project has encountered constraints and limitations, and our next steps in the effort. We hope this example can serve as a template and motivation for other university groups to commit to cultivating civic engagement relationships with people and communities in the Global South.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">KEYWORDS</span></p><p>civic engagement; community engagement; community partnerships; sustainability</p