Georgetown University’s Community Research and Learning Network (CoRAL) received a $1.2 million dollar grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service Wednesday. According to Kathleen Maas Weigert, the Director for the Center for Social Justice, Research, Teaching and Service, the grant money will allow for new full-time staff positions and for new paid student positions.
The CoRAL Network has worked to partner students and faculty from D.C. universities with local community organizations since 2000. In addition to working with Georgetown students, the CoRAL Network also works with students from American University, Catholic University, George Washington University, the University of Maryland, Trinity College and the University of the District of Columbia. Each of these schools will receive a sub-grant for service learning programming from the CoRAL Network.
Maas Weigert noted that one exciting aspect of the new grant is the collaboration that will go on between Georgetown and the other institutions of higher education in the District. “D.C. is all of ours, and, working together, we can make the city a more livable place,” she said.
The grant will also allow the creation of two new hired positions in Georgetown’s office at the Perry School, a D.C.-area high school where Georgetown students tutor high school students. “We can’t do things if we don’t have the people. This will allow us to expand our presence in the school and the neighborhood,” said Weigert.
A portion will also go towards service learning-based research to support public education. The CoRAL network also plans on holding training and faculty development programs in service-learning at Georgetown.
“The CoRAL Network is creating collaborative community partnerships throughout Washington,” said Sam Marullo, director of the CoRAL Network and associate professor of sociology at Georgetown in a University press release.
“By recognizing the need for this kind of research and community learning, the Corporation for National and Community Service is helping us mobilize educational and scholarly resources in support of the pursuit of social justice,”Maas Weigert We look forward to continuing CoRAL’s work.”
