Honors Program and Office of Institutional Diversity Host Social Progress Event to Kick Off Big Idea Competition

By RetterJ | January 19, 2017

On Feb. 27, the Honors Program and Office of Institutional Diversity will host a Social Progress Incubator to encourage community service, motivate student activists, and kick off Arcadia’s annual Big Idea Competition. All members of the University community are invited to join guest speakers Phyllis B. Taylor ’63, Deborah Rudman, and Tayyib Smith at 7 p.m. in the Great Room to explore social progress and better understand local needs.

In addition to receiving information about volunteer opportunities, attendees will have the opportunity to brainstorm projects for the Big Idea Competition. The Honors Program will display all ideas generated in the Commons to inspire community change and spark other “big ideas.”

Open to all undergraduate students at Arcadia, the Big Idea Competition invites innovators and activists to pitch events, services, and other projects designed to enhance the campus or local community.  This year’s winner will receive a $500 budget and committee support to bring their big idea to life.

To ensure space for all interested students, faculty, staff, and community members, attendees are encouraged to RSVP prior to the event.

About the Speakers

After graduating from Beaver College, Taylor ’63—who participated in civil rights movements as an undergraduate—helped establish The Philadelphia Life Center, worked with Witness for Peace, and served as a registered nurse, grief facilitator, and correctional chaplain. Additionally, Taylor serves organizations that promote the rehabilitation of convicted persons and support hospitalized children, families of homicide victims, women coping with addiction and trauma, and the elderly.

Rudman, programming director for Philadelphia Community Access Media, maintains active engagement in social issues through media art. In addition to facilitating Scribe Video Center’s Community Visions and Documentary History for Youth projects, Rudman serves on the Board of Directors for the Termite TV Collective, a program that inspired her to produce the documentary “City Harvest” and take up urban farming.

Smith cofounded Little Giant, a full-service creative agency, and launched The Institute of Hip-Hop Entrepreneurship, a program that uses hip-hop to empower and prepare enterprising youth with the skills to achieve entrepreneurial success. Smith also serves on the boards of Pennsylvania for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Temple University Urban Apps and Maps, and Jill Scott’s Blues Babe Foundation.