Coal Region Field Station and Associated Activities

Year­End Report

2015­2016

Submitted: September 2016

Prepared by: Shaunna Barnhart, PhD

Director, Place Studies program Bucknell Center for Sustainability and the Environment

Table of Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………… 2 Summer 2015: Coal Region Field Station Summer Research Grants……………………… 3 Class Engagement …………………………………………………………………………….... 4 Faculty Research and Projects ……………………………………………………………….. 7 Student Research …………………………………………………………………………….... 7 Community Service …………………………………………………………………………… 9 Economic Development …………………………………………………………………….... 11 Other Related Activities ……………………………………………………………………... 12 Field Station Usage at Mother Maria Kaupas Center in Mount Carmel, PA ……………. 14 Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………… 16 Appendix A: Media Coverage of Bucknell in the Coal Region ………………………...... 18

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Introduction

The Coal Region Field Station, headquartered in Mount Carmel, is a collaborative effort between Bucknell and anthracite coal region communities to foster community revitalization, highlight local histories and culture, and to envision possibilities in a post­coal future. Launched in Spring 2015, the program builds on a collaborative partnership with the Mother Maria Kaupas Center for Service Learning, which focuses on volunteerism and community revitalization. The Coal Region Field Station and associated Coal Region Working Group is a collaborative effort across disciplines to engage students, faculty, and staff in research, teaching, and outreach in the coal region. For 2015­16, Carl Milofsky and Ben Marsh volunteered as faculty co­directors, with Shaunna Barnhart and the BCSE providing administrative management and support.

Since Spring 2015, activity and interest in engaging Bucknell with the coal region has continued to increase through a range of activities, including:

Faculty­student research teams conducting innovative research sparked by Coal Region Field Station summer grants in Summer 2015 (funded through Action Research@Bucknell and the Dean’s Office),

Six courses with community­based projects and/or field trips (from Sociology, Management, Geography, and Comparative Humanities)

Student research, internships, and a Presidential Fellow working with faculty, Various service activities with regional communities and youth.

Such activities connect to multiple pillars in The Plan for Bucknell, including Strengthening the Academic Core through offering transformative academic experiences and close partnerships in faculty­student research; Enhancing Diversity through student engagement with communities of diverse socioeconomic class, culture, religion, and political perspectives; and Building Bridges by connecting Bucknell students, faculty, and staff with regional communities in collaborative community­based research and service activities.

With growing interest in coal region activities and possibilities after a successful meeting between community partners and interested faculty and staff at Bucknell in September 2015, a Coal Region Working Group was formed. The group now has 33 members from 18 academic and non­academic units across Humanities, Management, and Social Science divisions: Anthropology, Catholic Campus Ministries, Center for Sustainability and the Environment/Place Studies program, Comparative Humanities, Economics, Education, Engineering, English, Environmental Studies, Geography, History, International Relations, Library and Information Technology, Management, Office of Civic Engagement, Political Science, the Provost’s Office, Small Business Development Center, and Sociology.

Given the broad base of interest from across disciplines, work that connects across three pillars of The Plan for Bucknell, continuing support from community partners, and the strength of our partnership with the Mother Maria Kaupas Center, the Coal Region Field Station promises to be a continued benefit for Bucknell, its students, faculty, staff, and regional communities.

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Summer 2015: Coal Region Field Station Summer Research Grants

The official launch of the Coal Region Field Station in spring 2015 was accompanied by funding for three summer research grants led by Jen Silva, Nick Kupensky, and Neil Boyd. The 2015 Coal Region Field Station summer research grants have proven to be a valuable investment in faculty and student research. Jen Silva (Sociology) and Nick Kupensky (Comparative Humanities) embarked on long­term research projects with students in the coal region due to the dedicated 2015 summer research grants, with both projects continuing to flourish and engage students in research.

Jen Silva is working on a book project which focuses on community, politics, and identity in the coal region – a topic she began to pursue with the dedicated coal region summer grant. She has worked with a number of students as part of this research project; two in summer 2015 (Jesse Scheimreif '16 and Caroline Hompe '17) and two in academic year 2015­16. In academic year 2016­17, she continues to work with student researchers on data analysis, with one student, Kait Smeraldo ‘17, writing her thesis in education about pathways to adulthood in the coal region using Silva’s data and embedding the interviews into a history of the region. In addition to multiple invited speaking engagements across the country on her new research, her work has garnered international media attention, including a radio interview on BBC (see Appendix A). In September 2016, her work won an ASA/NSF Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline for her project, Hard Coal: Pail and Politics in Small­Town America.

Nick Kupensky, Visiting Assistant Professor of Comparative Humanities & Russian Studies, and Erin Frey ’17 explored immigrant history and culture in Mahanoy City to understand the immigrant experience through Emil Kubek’s poetry, and the public discourse surrounding Slavic immigrant arrivals at the turn of the last century. They worked with the Mahanoy Area Historical Society to recover from microfilm and translate the little­known poetry of Father Emil Kubek (1857­1940), a Carpatho­Rusyn immigrant and writer whose poetry illuminates coal mining and the immigrant experience of the early 20th century. Their work led to the Kubek Project (https://kubekproject.wordpress.com/) and a walking tour linking Kubek’s poems and short stories to the city landscape. A public launch of the walking tour on November 22, 2015, drew a crowd of ~90, including coal region communities and Bucknell attendees, and was covered in local, regional, and international news (see Appendix A). The work sparked by the summer field station grant is ongoing as Frey continues her work through a Presidential Fellowship and a 2016 summer research grant with Katie Faull (Comparative Humanities) and Kupensky continues to work with partners in Mahanoy City and at Bucknell on the Kubek

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Project. Kupensky, who is also a Bucknell alum, is planning to publish a book on Emil Kubek and his work in the Stories of the Susquehanna book series.

Additionally, Neil Boyd worked with student intern Sedona Boyatzis on a project focusing on sustainable consumption for low­income individuals in Central PA. Student Adam Bishop also worked in the coal region on issues related to food insecurity and the food pantry network under the mentorship of Carl Milofsky. Class Engagement

Since spring 2015, six courses involving six faculty and two staff (Shaunna Barnhart and Brianna Derr) have engaged with coal region communities through community based research and field trips. These courses introduced students to coal region communities and their lived experiences by working with community partners to better understand the communities and their needs, developing recommendations for addressing areas of community concern, and capturing and sharing community stories. Courses and their outcomes include:

SOCI 206: Video Ethnography. Spring 2015. (Carl Milofsky). Students completed a documentary on the Fire History Museum in Shamokin, and the museum’s founder John Smith. The video is available on the Place Studies YouTube channel and has had over 300 views. The student documentary project was covered in local media (See Appendix A).

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SOCI/UNIV 242 (IP): Rural Communities. Fall 2015. (Carl Milofsky and Jamie Hendry). A group of four students did a community assessment in Mount Carmel.

GEOG 218: Geographies of Justice. Spring 2016. (Vanessa Massaro). After a field trip and conversation with community members, three student groups completed and presented comparative case studies to Mount Carmel Borough, Mount Carmel Downtown Inc, and the Mother Maria Kaupas Center for strategies to improve community cohesion, youth retention, and alternative financing. Student projects were covered in local media

and some recommendations are being pursued for implementation (See Appendix A). Three pilot neighborhoods will implement a recommended block captain program, with Catholic Campus Ministry students providing a community­canvassing follow­up during a Fall 2016 community service weekend. Such coordination demonstrates the potential for chaining projects to involve students at multiple stages and to enhance community impact and collaboration. Other suggested projects will be further developed with additional research, grant writing, or project proposals in her Spring 2017 course.

MSUS 400: Sustainability Action Learning

Project. Spring 2016. (Eric Martin). Two student groups conducted in­depth community studies for community revitalization and organizational strategic plans with community partners Mount Carmel Downtown Inc. and the Mother Maria Kaupas Center. Student projects were covered in local media and in Bucknell communications (See Appendix A).

SOCI 206: Video Ethnography. Spring 2016.

(Carl Milofsky). Students completed a documentary on volunteer fire fighting in Shamokin and the difficulty in recruiting new volunteers. Documentary built upon a Spring 2015 Fire History Museum video project.

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UNIV 241 (IP): Susquehanna Country. Spring 2016. (Alf Siewers and Katie Faull). Students participated on a field trip to a coal mine in Trevorton where they met with the coal mine operator, followed by a brief tour of Centralia. One student’s final project focused on coal mining history in Trevorton, available on Omeka. http://ssv.omeka.bucknell.edu/omeka/neatline/show/trevorton In addition to the above, two other courses considered incorporating coal region projects. Jake Betz, Director of the Kaupas Center, and Shaunna Barnhart visited Amanda Wooden’s ENST 411 Capstone course to pitch a project on turning a vacant

lot in Mount Carmel into a green space. After careful deliberation, students chose to do a project on food availability that better aligned with their goals. However, data from that project is being put to use by the United Way in Sunbury to help improve food availability throughout Northumberland County (where the coal region is located). Seth Orsborn expressed interest in working with the Shamokin Fire Museum on design issues for his MIDE 302: Design Realization, but chose other options. Such interest indicates potential for growth and development in curricular engagement with coal region communities.

As the news coverage listed in Appendix A indicates, both students and the community have had positive experiences with such interactions. Eric Martin’s MSUS 400 students, all class of 2016 graduates in Managing for Sustainability, also provided feedback about how the experience of working with the community in Mount Carmel impacted their learning:

“Working in Mt Carmel was a very unique experience that I feel lucky we got the chance to do. We were welcomed by everyone from the mayor to business owners, to regular citizens. There are not many places where we could have worked with all the people and leaders we did this semester and feel as though we were contributing.” “This made me realize a) how difficult it is to come in as a consultant and make sure you are not stepping on toes, and b) how hard it is to make development sustainable. Coming in, it is entirely reliant on the community surveys, interviews, and meetings as to what we should focus on. Even if we think there is a solution that works well, we can’t pursue it unless the community agrees.” “This experience will help me in my development of becoming a more understanding person and gain a more diverse perspective to real issues in our nation.”

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“I definitely learned more about how to work for the best interests of someone else, or another organization.” “This project also helped me learn about a different type of town I would otherwise have never spent time in.”

Faculty Research and Projects

In addition to ongoing work by Jen Silva and Nick Kupensky outlined previously,

additional faculty are engaged in long­term research and projects. Alf Siewers and a team of students are working on a collaborative documentary project for the Stories of the Susquehanna Valley WVIA documentary series that focuses on churches of coal country. They are working with David McFee, a videography teacher at Mount Carmel High School, and high school student volunteers. Pre­planning began in academic year 2015­16 with initial filming and interviewing beginning in Summer 2016. Carl Milofsky continues to work with students on the Fire History Museum in Shamokin in partnership with Shamokin Volunteer Fire Companies. The collaborative project will digitally archive Shamokin’s fire history collection (photographs, personal accounts, news articles, and artifacts), utilize the materials for student and faculty research projects, and prepare materials for community display. Student Research

In addition to the students who have engaged with coal region communities through

coursework, students are also working with faculty as research assistants, conducting independent research with faculty mentorship, and working as interns through Bucknell in the coal region. Summer 2015 saw five students working with faculty on coal region projects, outlined in the 2015 Coal Region Field Station Summer Research grants section above. During the academic year, students worked as research assistants with faculty on on­going projects, such as two students working with Jen Silva, in addition to a Presidential Fellow working with Katie Faull. Summer 2016 saw seven students working on various internship and research projects in the coal region, as outlined below.

Tyler Candelora ‘19 created a digital tour of monuments in Shamokin and the events they

commemorate, available on Omeka. He worked with Katie Faull and Diane Jakacki. http://ssv.omeka.bucknell.edu/omeka/an­interactive­map­of­shamokins­monuments

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Erin Frey ‘17 conducted research in both summer 2015 and summer 2016, in addition to being a Presidential Fellow during the academic year. Her ongoing research centers on the discursive representation of Slavic immigrants in the coal region, with a focus on Mahanoy City. She has worked with both Katie Faull and Nick Kupensky.

Tyler Greene ‘17 interned with the Kaupas Center in Mount Carmel and conducted an assessment of the inaugural Kaupas Camp, a four week academic and sports camp for youth in grades 5­8. Bucknell was a key partner in planning and staffing the camp.

James Hamm ‘18 worked to digitize archives for the Fire History Museum in Shamokin

and also worked to compare various web­based community platforms to determine how community organizations can best collaborate and share information in a common data platform. He worked under the guidance of Carl Milofsky.

Dominic Scicchitano ‘19 conducted a study for the Mount Carmel Public Library to

explore the potential for converting a vacant lot into a green space. He worked as an intern for the Place Studies program under the direction of Shaunna Barnhart.

Cale Shelton worked on a pilot questionnaire for a health needs assessment to be

deployed in the coal region and other communities. The pilot instrument was developed in conjunction with the Community Action Agency in Selinsgrove as part of the Geisinger Summer Research Institute. The goal is for this to lead to health research in Mount Carmel. He worked under the guidance of Carl Milofsky.

Sasha Weilbaker ‘19 worked with Alf Siewers, two high school volunteers, and high

school teacher David McFee on initial planning and filming of a new WVIA documentary for the Stories of the Susquehanna series on churches of coal country.

The increasing number of student researchers from summer 2015 to summer 2016

demonstrates that students are interested in the opportunity to have research experience with regional coal communities. There is also a growing interest among students from the coal region to do summer research projects in or near their hometowns now that there is the Coal Region Field Station and a concerted effort to build connections between Bucknell and coal region

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communities; with two such students in summer 2016. This year, we ran into issues with students wanting to do research in the coal region and not having funding (these were eventually resolved), and we also lost a student intern due to housing and transportation issues (stemming largely from miscommunication and lack of coordination). Thus, while there were seven student researchers active in the coal region, the demand was greater. In addition to student researchers, students were also engaged in community service in Mount Carmel during the summer through Bucknell Athletics. Community Service

While it is clear that the academic engagement with the coal region is growing, the partnership with the Mother Maria Kaupas Center has also garnered interest among Bucknellians in doing community service. Bucknell Athletics and Catholic Campus Ministries have been the two core groups conducting community service in the region.

Bucknell Athletics has been involved in a number of service activities during spring 2016 and summer 2016. For example, sixty­two members of the Bucknell Swim Team accompanied by head coach Dan Schinnerer and assistant coaches conducted a free swim clinic for youth in Mount Carmel in January. Bucknell Athletics led a canned food drive, collecting 13 boxes of canned food which were delivered by Matt Wyman ‘16, a senior on the track team, and Kelly Pastuszek and Terrie Grieb of the Athletics department, to the Kaupas Center for distribution to area food programs.

Bucknell Athletics, in conjunction with MSUS 400 students and summer interns, played an important role in planning, conducting, and assessing a 2016 summer camp for youth in which 35 students enrolled. The athletic component of the Kaupas Camp, a four week summer camp for Mount Carmel Area students in grades 5­8, was staffed by Bucknell Athletics

coaches and student­athlete volunteers, with Maisha Kelly, Senior Associate Athletics Director, being the key Bucknell Athletics contact and coordinator. Athletic clinics were held for field hockey, soccer, track and field, football, lacrosse, wrestling, and basketball. Bucknell Athletics

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also collected snack items that were provided during the camp to participants. Students from Eric Martin’s MSUS 400 course in Spring 2016 assisted in preliminary planning and getting the scheduling in place. Summer student intern Tyler Greene did a formal assessment of the camp and made recommendations for next year to the camp task force. Additionally, Janine Glathar and Luyang Ren from Digital Scholarship and Pedagogy conducted a GIS mapping workshop for the summer camp kids. President John Bravman’s office paid for the T­shirts that were given to students, teachers and others who were actively involved with the camp. The Kaupas Camp was a partnership between the Mount Carmel Area School District, the Mother Maria Kaupas Center, the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, and Bucknell University. This project demonstrates the synergies possible in collaborating across courses, student volunteers, student interns and researchers, and professional staff in working with community partners to not only develop but implement a collaborative community engagement endeavor.

Under the leadership of Suzanne Domzalski, Catholic Campus Ministries led two service weekends to Mount Carmel and stayed overnight at the Kaupas Center. Below are quotes from students who participated on the Catholic Campus Ministries service trips to Mount Carmel in Spring 2016, demonstrating the impactful experience for students that connect to Building Bridges and Enhancing Diversity in The Plan for Bucknell:

“I thank God for this experience. For the chance to help, new friends made, and meeting so many good people at the Kaupas Center and in Mt. Carmel. I will never forget Mt. Carmel. The place and its people hold a special place in my heart. Who needs to go abroad when we have this amazing opportunity to help people who live in our own back yard?” Accounting and Financial Management major, ‘17 “It is so easy to feel disconnected on campus, and this was a good way to gain some perspective. The experience was a strong reminder of what we are called to do: to reach out to others, working with them and helping in a personal, one­on­one way.” Mechanical Engineering major, ‘18

“Vivian and Casey (McCracken) brought my attention to the issues faced by the Mt. Carmel community: the lack of industry and jobs, drug problems, kids having problems in school, etc. How this happened and why. In helping to clean up the library (to make space) for the Historical Society, what we did may have been small, but I think it’s a step in the right direction…making the community just a bit better.” Psychology/Spanish major, ‘16

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“This weekend was an amazing opportunity. Words cannot express how thankful I am to have experienced it. I made so many new connections and met many new people with such amazing life stories, so many different outlooks and (so much) knowledge to share. I could literally cry both happy and sad tears right now as this retreat comes to an end. I hope to keep everything I feel right now so I can spread the fire that was lit in me this weekend, to invite them to take part in (the Mt. Carmel project) too.”

Computer Science and Engineering major, ‘19

Other service activities were considered or planned, such as fraternities considering a service day and a July service day planned by the Bucknell football team which was postponed until Fall 2017. These activities, both completed and contemplated, demonstrates that there is interest among the Bucknell community at large for service opportunities in the coal region.

Economic Development

Through Bucknell University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), entrepreneurs in the coal region have access to confidential consulting at no fee, training workshops, and information resources that can help them plan, launch, and sustain businesses.

Mount Carmel­based “Soupie Brothers” opened for business in summer 2015; and Bucknell’s assistance to them through the SBDC was featured in television coverage by WNEP (See Appendix A). Their product is dry cured meat historically taken as a portable snack into the region’s mines. Made for generations by the family of owner Greg Kanowicz, a Soupie is described on their website as “intertwined with the Pennsylvania coal region and its people.” A ribbon­cutting event to celebrate their grand opening in downtown Mount Carmel is under development with Mount Carmel Downtown Inc. (MCDI).

Following a visit by SBDC Director Steven Stumbris in February to a community meeting organized by Ed Fegley, MCDI President; and Judy Polites, MCDI Director; the SBDC can offer a “pre­business” First Step and other workshops; as well as consulting assistance at locations throughout the region.

Bucknell’s SBDC is a member of the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers; the only statewide, nationally accredited program providing entrepreneurs with the education, information, and tools necessary to build successful businesses. Bucknell’s center serves Northumberland county and five other counties in central PA. The SBDC is a public/private partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) through the Partnership for Regional Economic Performance program.

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Other Related Activities A range of other affiliated activities have also occurred this year in connection with the Coal Region Field Station and Working Group, as outlined below:

In September, a luncheon meeting was held to explore Bucknell partnerships with coal region community partners. The 29 attendees at this luncheon (21 from Bucknell, 8 from Mount Carmel) discussed the ways in which Bucknell might engage with community partners in Mount Carmel and the specific needs and potential projects that Mount Carmel partners have identified.

In October, Ben Marsh led a Coal Region bus tour for about 20 staff and faculty that included stops in Shamokin, at the “whaleback” geologic feature, and Centralia.

The Provost’s Office recommended the Coal Region Field Station and Working Group put together a grant proposal for the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation. The Working Group developed a vision for it during a series of meetings in Spring 2016. Due to internal restructuring at the Foundation, the application deadline for that grant has been moved from November 2016 to November 2017.

During Fall 2015 and Spring 2016, Sawyer Owens ‘17, finished edits to the video project begun by Place Studies interns the previous year on “Mother Maria Kaupas: Her life, her ministry, and its influence on Mt. Carmel.” The documentary details the legacy of Mother Maria Kaupas (1880­1940), the origins of the Mother Maria Kaupas Center, and the new partnership with Bucknell. Video is available on the Place Studies YouTube Channel and has over 170 views.

In April, Eric Martin’s MSUS 400 students presented their research projects in Mount Carmel to the borough, the Kaupas Center, and Mount Carmel Downtown Inc.

In May, Vanessa Massaro’s GEOG 218 students presented their projects to eleven community partners invited to campus from Mount Carmel and Shamokin.

In May, Shaunna Barnhart, Carl Milofsky, Father Martin Moran, and Jake Betz presented a panel on the Bucknell­Kaupas Center partnership at the Community Engagement Faculty Institute at Notre Dame.

At the Community Engagement Faculty Institute at Notre Dame, Carl Milofsky and Father Martin Moran began conversations with Harlan Beckley, Executive Director, Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, about establishing a national student internship site in the coal region for the Shepherd Consortium. Planning and conversations for this development are on­going.

In May, Bucknell finalized a renewed Memorandum of Understanding regarding the utilization of space at the Mother Maria Kaupas Center.

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In June, Carl Milofsky and Brandn Green published a paper, “Re­Building Coal Country: A Church/University Partnership” in the online journal Religions. Available at: http://www.mdpi.com/2077­1444/7/6/75

Well over a dozen planning meetings with the Coal Region Working Group occurred over the course of the year.

Shaunna Barnhart and Carl Milofsky, as key Bucknell contacts, met with Jake Betz and Father Martin Moran of the Kaupas Center and Divine Redeemer Church on a monthly or bi­weekly basis to discuss activities and possibilities throughout the year.

In July, Barbara Altmann visited the Coal Region Field Station and toured some of the Bucknell projects underway, concluding the visit with a luncheon with about 40 community members and about 10 Bucknell attendees. Present were representatives of the Mount Carmel Area School District, Mount Carmel Borough, Mount Carmel Downtown Inc., STEAMS, Mount Carmel Area Ministerium, Mount Carmel Area Public Library and Kaupas Center Advisory Board; Bucknell faculty members, staff and interns, and members of Divine Redeemer Church. The visit was covered in local news (See Appendix A).

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Field Station Usage at Mother Maria Kaupas Center in Mount Carmel, PA

The value in the Bucknell partnership with the Mother Maria Kaupas Center has been in establishing a solid foundation from which to build community relationships so that faculty, staff, and students can engage with area communities through multiple means (courses, research, internships, long term projects, service). We have relied heavily on our connection to the Kaupas Center to reach out to other organizations and individuals and to assist in logistical planning. Without the assistance provided by Jake Betz, Director of the Kaupas Center, and Father Martin Moran, pastor at Divine Redeemer Church, former Bucknell Chaplain, and the visionary behind the Kaupas Center, establishing the connections and engaging in the breadth and depth of work that Bucknellians have done in this past year would not have been possible.

Through a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Mother Maria Kaupas Center, Bucknell rents space at the Kaupas Center as the official headquarters of the Coal Region Field Station. The agreement provides a dedicated office space for Bucknell faculty and students to work, an internship meeting room, and access to the common areas of the building including meeting areas, classrooms, and kitchen space, as well as access to the dormitories for overnight stays.

Faculty, students, and staff have utilized the space for research interviews, meetings with community partners, a space for classes to gather off campus, as a general work space while in Mount Carmel, and as a base of operations for overnight service trips. While we have not had a consistent method for tracking use since its inception, general use of the field station space can be broken down with the following examples:

Summer 2015: A meeting with representatives of Mount Carmel Downtown Inc. and Bucknell

faculty involved with Kaupas Center programs was held. Students utilized the field station as a work space over the summer. Jen Silva (Sociology) conducted interviews for research.

Academic Year 2015­16:

Note that much of the academic year activity in the field station occurred in Spring 2016

as Fall 2015 was spent building partnerships and awareness with faculty and staff to

utilize the field station space.

Jen Silva (Sociology) continued to utilize the space throughout the year for research interviews.

Shaunna Barnhart (Place Studies) and Vanessa Massaro (Geography) utilized the field station meeting space to meet with borough government representatives and Mount Carmel Downtown Inc. for a pre­course planning meeting.

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Maisha Kelly (Athletics) visited the Kaupas Center and then met with school administrators at the school district.

Carl Milofsky (Sociology) conducted an interview with Father Marty as part of a paper he wrote on the partnership.

Eric Martin (Management) met with representatives from the Kaupas Center, borough government representatives, and Mount Carmel Downtown Inc.

MSUS 400 class met with community partners at beginning of semester. MSUS 400 students spent considerable time in Mount Carmel and utilized the

field station as a landing and meeting space throughout the semester. Vanessa Massaro’s GEOG 218 course utilized the meeting space for a class and

to meet with community partners before taking a tour of town. Catholic Campus Ministries did two weekend service trips, stayed in the

dormitories and utilized the meeting spaces. (Feb. 27­28 and April 8­9).

Summer 2016: Kathryn Maguet, Johanna Kodlick and Lisa Leighton of the Weis Center met at

with Father Moran and Jake Betz to discuss the Center’s plans for a year­long series of performances and educational events celebrating coal mining in Pennsylvania and throughout the world.

Alf Siewers (English) and Sasha Weilbaker ‘19 met with community collaborators on several occasions at the field station.

Carl Milofsky (Sociology) and student intern James Hamm ‘18 met at the field station.

Student intern Tyler Green ‘17 worked from the field station. Shaunna Barnhart (Place Studies) and Dominic Scicchitano ‘19 met with Vivian

McCracken from the Mount Carmel Public Library about the summer library project.

Dominic Scicchitano ‘19 worked from the field station on several occasions. Provost Barbara Altmann visited the field station in July and several meetings

were held there, including with three summer student researchers and interns. The field station space has proven to be a valuable asset in building a visible, more permanent relationship between Bucknell and the community. Holding meetings in this space assists in solidifying that connection. The field station location both provides a landing space for Bucknellians working in the coal region and in building a positive rapport and support structure with community partners that has allowed us to explore a broad range of activities.

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Summary

The first year of the Coal Region Field Station, built upon a partnership between Bucknell and the Mother Maria Kaupas Center, has actively connected to three pillars in The Plan for Bucknell, including Strengthening the Academic Core through offering transformative academic experiences and close partnerships in faculty­student research; Enhancing Diversity through student engagement with communities of diverse socioeconomic class, culture, religion, and political perspectives; and Building Bridges by connecting Bucknell students, faculty, and staff with regional communities in collaborative community­based research and service activities. This inaugural year has seen a growing interest in Bucknell engagement with the coal region and a growth in community partners both within Mount Carmel and in other anthracite coal region communities such as Shamokin and Mahanoy City. Having a physical presence in the area through the field station located at the Kaupas Center has proven to be a benefit in having a working and gathering place for Bucknell faculty, students, staff, and their community partners as well as in demonstrating Bucknell’s commitment to building bridges to the community and in providing access to logistical and networking support from the Kaupas Center staff and affiliates. The work that faculty, students, and staff have engaged in with community partners in classes, research, and service demonstrate the strength of this program in supporting The Plan for Bucknell by strengthening the academic core, enhancing diversity, and building bridges.

As this year has shown, Bucknell faculty, students and staff have been actively involved in community partnerships to foster community revitalization, highlight local histories and culture, and to envision possibilities in a post­coal future. Going forward, we expect engagement to continue in teaching, research, and service, with several activities already planned, including possible community­based research class projects in fall and spring, planned service trips, and a Bucknell Athletics event on campus in January for Mount Carmel Area students. Discussions are also underway about Bucknell involvement in a second summer Kaupas Camp in 2017.

With the launch of the 2016­2017 year long series Coal Collections: Local, National, and

International Stories , a collaborative program between The Weis Center for Performing Arts and the Place Studies program, we expect to see a further strengthening of Bucknell and anthracite coal region communities connections as well as engagement with more faculty and students across campus with the coal region through attendance at events. The robust series includes performances, a noon lecture series, art installations, invited speakers, films, and puppetry, with more details and a schedule of events available at http://bucknell.edu/coalcollections . The theme­year focus results from an all­campus invited meeting in February 2016 with over 20 faculty and staff in attendance who expressed interest in a year focused on regional coal communities, thus also building upon the interest generated by the Coal Region Field Station. Coal Collections has been planned to ensure community accessibility to and participation in events.

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Finally, as this report has shown, there is a rich opportunity for activities and projects to build upon one another across classes, research projects, interns, and service engagements in partnership with the community in order to maximize impact of student engagement. This includes the ongoing research projects of Jen Silva, Alf Siewers, and Carl Milofsky which engage students across semesters in research or class projects that build on prior work. The 2016 Kaupas Camp is another example which combined the efforts of MSUS 400 students, Bucknell Athletics, and a student intern in planning, implementing, and assessing a middle school student summer camp. Vanessa Massaro’s GEOG 218 student projects led to the community pursuing a block captain program to enhance community cohesion. Catholic Campus Ministry students picked up the project, at the request of Mount Carmel Downtown Inc. and the Kaupas Center, conducting a community canvassing follow­up during a service weekend in Fall 2016 to build awareness about the launch of the program. Additionally, Leah Murphy ‘17, a student from the GEOG 218 course, is interning with the Place Studies program under the direction of Shaunna Barnhart to carry forward the green space development project begun by Dominic Scicchitano ‘19 over the summer, with the expectation that other students or classes will continue to tackle various components of the project. Such developments demonstrate the potential of having a coordinated field station effort such that collaborative community­based projects can build upon one another for continued impact in fostering community revitalization, highlighting local histories and culture, and envisioning possibilities in a post­coal future.

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Appendix A: Media Coverage of Bucknell in the Coal Region In reverse chronological order Mother Maria Kaupus Center, Bucknell University Promote Community Revitalization, in The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg , 8/9/2016http://www.hbgdiocese.org/2016/08/09/mother­maria­kaupus­center­bucknell­university­promote­community­revitalization/

Topic: Bucknell­Kaupas Center presentation by Carl Milofsky, Shaunna Barnhart, Jake Betz, and Father Martin Moran at Notre Dame about Coal Region Field Station, the Mother Maria Kaupas Center, the partnership with Bucknell, and work/lessons learned to date. Includes quotes from Notre Dame host about the presentation.

Mount Carmel Men Selling ‘Soupies’ Online, in WNEP TV , 8/5/2016http://wnep.com/2016/08/05/mount­carmel­men­selling­soupies­online/

Topic: Bucknell's Small Business Development Center working with Mount Carmel entrepreneurs for over a year to develop online business.

Anthracite featured in Weis Center's new season , in The News Item , 7/30/2016 http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­07­30/Local/Anthracite_featured_in_Weis_Centers_new_season.html

Topic: Coal Collections Series announcement from Weis Center about year­long collaborative series between Weis Center and Place Studies/BCSE.

Bucknell provost tours Mount Carmel as part of Kaupas work , in The News Item, 7/14/2016http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­07­14/Today%27s_Top_Stories/Bucknell_provost_tours_Mount_Carmel_as_part_of_Kau.html

Topic: Provost Barbara Altmann tour of Bucknell and community projects, research, and service in Mount Carmel.

Survey says everyone can help Mount Carmel, in The News Item , 6/29/2016http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­06­29/Opinion/Survey_says_everyone_can_help_Mount_Carmel.html

Topic: MSUS 400 student survey results; GEOG 218 block captain program

Bucknell coaches instructing at MCA , in The News Item , 6/29/2016http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­06­29/Sports/Bucknell_coaches_instructing_at_MCA.html

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Topic: Kaupas Summer Camp and Bucknell Athletics

Kaupas connection provides Mount Carmel with action plan lauded by officials , in The

News Item , 6/27/2016http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­06­27/Today%27s_Top_Stories/Kaupas_connection_provides_Mount_Carmel_with_actio.html

Topic: MSUS 400 student survey results; GEOG 218 block captain program, youth engagement (4H program), and sports leagues

Kaupus Camp kids pitch in, in The News Item , 6/25/2016http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­06­25/Local/Kaupus_Camp_kids_pitch_in.html

Topic: Kaupas Summer Camp and Bucknell sponsorship of it

Kaupas­Bucknell revitalization efforts highlighted at Notre Dame institute, in The News

Item , 6/22/2016http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­06­22/Local/KaupasBucknell_revitalization_efforts_highlighted_.html

Topic: Bucknell­Kaupas Center presentation by Carl Milofsky, Shaunna Barnhart, Jake Betz, and Father Martin Moran at Notre Dame about Coal Region Field Station, partnership, and work/lessons learned to date.

What's killing white middle­aged American women?, on BBC World Service Inquiry

Programme , 5/11/2016 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­us­canada­36255143 (article) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03sxmyn#play (radio podcast)

Topic: Highlights Jen Silva's work from her book Coming Up Short and her new research in the coal region

Creating Optimism in Coal Country, in Bucknell Communications , 5/2/2016 http://bucknell.edu/news­and­media/2016/may/creating­optimism­in­coal­country.html

Topic: Variety of Coal Region related work in courses and research, including MSUS 400, SOCI 206, the Kubek Project, Jen Silva’s research, and service projects by Athletics and Catholic Campus Ministries.

Cheers and Jeers Editorial, in The News Item , 4/18/2016http://www.newsitem.com/current/Editorials

Topic: Editorial about the work of MSUS 400 Students

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Community plan: Bucknell students hit streets for study, in The News Item , 2/25/2016 http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­02­25/Today's_Top_Stories/Community_plan.html

Topic: MSUS 400 Students

Bucknell students, staff to conduct various projects in Mount Carmel, in The News Item , 2/18/2016 http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­02­18/Today's_Top_Stories/Bucknell_students_staff_to_conduct_various_project.html

Topic: Steve Stumbris SBDC, Eric Martin's MSUS 400

Research Illuminates Lives of Immigrants in Pa. Coal Town , in Bucknell Communications , 2/15/2016http://bucknell.edu/news­and­media/2016/february/research­illuminates­lives­of­immigrants­in­pa­coal­town.html

Topic: Summary of Erin Frey and Nick Kupensky’s Kubek Project, including the walking tour from November 22, 2015.

Bucknell seniors begin work with Mt. Carmel group , in The News Item , 2/12/2016http://www.newsitem.com/news/2016­02­12/Today%27s_Top_Stories/Bucknell_seniors_begin_work_with_Mt_Carmel_group.html

Topic: MSUS 400 students

West End Walking Tour, in Coal Cracker ­ Youth led news for PA's Anthracite Coal Region , 1/17/2016 http://www.coalcrackerkids.com/west­end­walking­tour/

Topic: Kubek Project and the November 22, 2015, walking tour

Father Kubek's life, talents celebrated in Mahanoy City , in Republican Herald , 11/23/2015http://republicanherald.com/news/father­kubek­s­life­talents­celebrated­in­mahanoy­city­1.1974691

Topic: Kubek Project and the November 22, 2015, walking tour

«Маганой Сіті – місто Емілия Кубека» прогулька слідами священника , in lem.fm(Rusyn language news), 11/19/2015http://www.lem.fm/maganoy­siti­misto­emiliya­kubeka­progulka­slidami­svyashhennika/

Topic: Kubek Project and the upcoming walking tour in Rusyn language news

A Walk Through History , in Coal Cracker ­ Youth led news for PA's Anthracite Coal Region , 10/24/2015

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http://www.coalcrackerkids.com/walk­through­history/ Topic: Kubek Project

Mount Carmel's Kaupus center to serve as home base for Bucknell students' study, in The

News Item , 7/1/2015 https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2­38465510.html

Topic: Summer Research Grants ­ Jen Silva, Nick Kupensky, students

Bucknell faculty offer help through Mount Carmel's Kaupus center, in The News Item , 5/31/2015 https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2­38349665.html

Topic: Field Station announcement and official launch

Bucknell documentary details Shamokin fire history , in The News Item , 5/14/2015 https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2­37953359.html

Topic: SOCI 206 Fire Museum documentary

IHM Sisters Join Celebration and Dedication of Maria Kaupas Center, in Sisters of IHM (excerpt from The News Item ), 4/13/2015http://www.sistersofihm.org/what­we­do/news­events/detail.html?inode=7d645716­779b­4663­899d­61e64f9bf72a

Topic: Field Station announcement and official launch

‘Always with love’, in The News Item , 4/13/2015https://mothermariakaupascenter.wordpress.com/in­the­news/always­with­love­apr­13­15/

Topic: Field Station announcement and official launch

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