CARLISLE, Pa., Sept. 12 (AScribe Newswire) -- Dickinson College has been awarded a $90,000, two-year grant from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) to be a Bringing Theory to Practice Project demonstration site. Dickinson's grant will fund the development and evaluation of new approaches to students' wellness through active involvement in their learning and positive engagement with campus and community life.

Dickinson's project will study levels of student engagement and wellness among first-year students in response to varied first-year learning experiences, such as topic-oriented interactive classroom seminars, experiential learning and service learning. The goal of the study is to inform and guide colleges and universities in their current and future implementation of engaged learning initiatives so that students' physical, mental and academic well-being are maximized.

"A growing body of research is exploring the linkage between the quality of a student's engagement with their peers, faculty, the campus and the community in relationship to aspects of student well-being. We are pleased that Dickinson College has been recognized for our programmatic work in this arena, and that our research will now contribute to the broader national conversation," commented Dr. Shalom Staub, academic affairs fellow and director of the Bringing Theory Practice project at Dickinson College.

Dickinson's programs for its first-year students create a variety of opportunities to build academic and social relationships with other students and faculty. Designed to acquaint students with the college and academic study, First-Year Seminars encourage student learning within and beyond the classroom. Additionally, Dickinson offers a "Learning Community" program, in which students in thematically linked First Year Seminars live together and experience educational programs out of the classroom, such as fieldtrips, service learning, dinner-discussion series, weekend workshops, films and speaker events.

Sixty-six colleges and universities from all regions of the country applied to be demonstration sites as part of The Bringing Theory to Practice Project. Of those applicants, only six were chosen to be leadership institutions for major support -- Dickinson was one of those chosen. The other sites are: Barnard College, Emory University, Georgetown University, St. Lawrence University and Syracuse University. While each institution will operate an independent project, all have agreed on common research protocols and objectives.

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CONTACT: Christine Dugan, Dickinson Media Relations, 717-245-1289, media@dickinson.edu

ABOUT THE COLLEGE: Dickinson is a private, national liberal-arts college of 2,300 students, located in south central Pennsylvania and known for its innovative curriculum and international education programs. In September 1783, the school became the first college chartered in the newly recognized nation.

To learn more about Dickinson College's programs for first-year students, visit www.dickinson.edu/bulletin/freshsem.html or www.dickinson.edu/departments/learncomm/index.html.

ABOUT THE PROJECT: The Bringing Theory to Practice Project is sponsored by the Charles Engelhard Foundation of New York City and developed in partnership with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). An interdisciplinary planning group of scholars, researchers, practitioners, and institutional leaders guides the project. AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality and public standing of undergraduate liberal arts education. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises 1,000 accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.