Valeri Werpetinski's Page

How am I affiliated with the Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute?
As the Director of Curriculum and Service-Learning for SESI, I collaborate with Collette Niland (SESI's Executive Director) and Stacy Bennett (SESI's Director of External Relations) to develop and coordinate curriculum for the institute and affiliated service-learning internship course for student fellows in the program. I also serve as the instructor for this University of Illinois course (BUS 199: Social Entrepreneurship & the Citizen Leader), which is designed to provide structure and support to maximize learning and accountability during the academic service-learning internships.

What's my job at the University of Illinois?
I work as a Specialist in Education in Instructional Development in the Center for Teaching Excellence. In this position, I've been able to work with faculty, academic professionals, and TAs across campus in a variety of ways to support, promote, and enhance teaching and learning at the University of Illinois. Probably most relevant to those who are affiliated with SESI and this social networking site is my interest in and work with service-learning and community-engaged scholarship. In my role at CTE, I can support instructional and course development, partnership-building, and the assessment of service-learning via services such as consultations, workshops, and reading groups for campus units and individual instructors and staff members. I can be reached at 333-3370 for service-learning programming requests or to make an appointment.

This past year, I've created a social networking site for the Scholarship of Engagement Community at the University of Illinois, called Engaged Illinois. The purpose of this site is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and resources, networking across disciplines, and providing feedback on community-engaged teaching, research, or service. The Center for Teaching Excellence also has recently launched its new website, and I am developing content for CTE's Service-Learning Site. Individuals working in and with the community will find many useful resources on these sites.