A. J. Gordon Scholars Community Asset Projects

Campus Community Asset Projects (CAPs) are designed to explore asset-based thinking and collaboration in the context of a small community—in this case, our campus community.

Individually or in teams, A. J. Gordon Scholars choose a campus-based community project originating from shared interests or established needs among neighbors. Each project is linked to the theory and practice of asset-based thinking and community development. Scholars are encouraged to build community partnerships and influence the community experience of their fellow citizens. Lifelong leadership includes active, faithful influence in the communities in which we live and work.

Project teams are exposed to the dynamics of complex social and community issues and resources. They learn the practices of project development and management, teamwork, collaboration, community networking and advocacy. Projects are a practical learning experience and a means to return real solutions to the campus community.

Foundations for CAP projects

The learning process for these projects includes six goals that anchor project imagination and success. We hope projects will:

• Be informed by scholarship
• Be guided by experience
• Be shared with community partners
• Be firmly targeted and appropriately scaled
• Be creatively promoted and humbly held
• Be built to last

• Gordon College Composting Program 
   A partnership between Gordon's Advocates for Sustainable Futures, Gordon College Physical Plant, and Residence Life to introduce campus apartment-dwellers in Bromley Hall and Tavilla Hall to an organic waste composting system which reduces campus waste costs and benefits the Gordon Garden.
• Broadcast Media Group > ScotRadio
  Explored aspects of developing campus broadcast media formats (radio, video, internet) as an extension of Christian presence in media. This group seeded what sprouted as Gordon's first internet radio—ScotRadio—with an active and enthusiastic student government-sponsored agency.
• Give-and-Take Initiative > The Common Exchange
  Designed and launched a campus community give-and-take swap store to encourage reuse of clothing and other items among students, faculty and staff. The idea was formalized as The Common Exchange and is now operating in Chase Hall, underwritten by student government as a GCSA agency.
• The Princemere Academic Journal
  Gordon College's undergraduate journal of student research and scholarly writing was seeded by an A. J. Gordon Scholar and a Dean, and brought to life with the help of a team of or A. J. Gordon Scholars and faculty. The journal, and an accompanying Undergraduate Research Council (which supports student scholars and their presentations at regional and national conferences), are now supported by the student government's Academic Affairs Council. The Princemere Academic Journal publishes student undergraduate scholarship "by students, for students."
• Other projects have included:  LAUNCH seminar for preparing students to become well-prepared, professional Alumni, a Church Finder Database to help students find local churches to attend, a "Trade-Fairly" Initiative now adopted by the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), Social Justice Initiative (SJI) Council - which itself was birthed by an A. J. Gordon Scholars CAP project, as was our annual Human Rights Week program at Gordon, the Advocates for Sustainable Futures Council, the Smooth Health Initiative (nutritional awareness and advocacy), a campus wildlife project, several educational events to better understand other faith traditions (Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox).