W&L Community-Based Learning

10/02/2025

Thank you to all who attended our Annual Community Engagement Fair on September 10th!We brought together 36 local organizations and approximately 140 students, staff, and faculty. Our partners provided insightful information on volunteer and service opportunities that actively involve and support the local community.
We sincerely thank the Community Engagement and Service Learning Advisory Committee, the Shepherd Program, and the Education Studies Department for their invaluable support!

09/16/2025

Come by and register to vote from 10am-4pm @ Elrod Commons! This is hosted by CBL’s Campus Vote Project Democracy Fellows Laura Murambadoro and Kaden Buss!

05/16/2025

At CBL’s End of the Year Bi-Annual Appreciation Celebration, we presented accolades. Prof. Jayne Reino (Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish) received the Community-Engaged Faculty Award. This award honors a faculty member for scholarship that fosters reciprocal community partnerships. Prof. Jayne has made a profound impact through her commitment to community-based learning and advocacy. She has led numerous CBL courses and partnered with nonprofits such as United Way Rockbridge, RARA, and Blue Ridge Legal Services. Additionally, she co-led ESOL, providing essential language support, tutoring, and community connections. Through Programma Sol, she has helped Spanish-speaking families strengthen their literacy skills over the summer. Her dedication to equitable education and meaningful collaboration has been praised by community partners, with Project Horizon noting that her efforts have been “instrumental in strengthening our capacity to serve households.” A representative of the selection committee, Shadrey Sands, Neighborhood Grocery Manager at RARA, presented the award.

Prof. Connell Cunningham, Jr. (Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry) was recognized for completing CBL’s Scholar-in-Residence program, a one-year opportunity that supports tenure-track or non-tenure track faculty interested in or currently conducting research that would enhance knowledge, understanding, and/or create an impact in the Shenandoah Valley area. During his time with our office, Prof. Cunningham focused on the chemistry of local wines, identifying and quantifying sugars through gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to develop the taste profiles of specific wine samples, sharing that information with local businesses to promote knowledge and positively impact the local economy.

05/16/2025

Staying in Lexington this summer? Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Check out Rockbridge Rock Steady Boxing (RSB)! Located in downtown Lexington, RSB is a national exercise program for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). It has been proven that intense exercise, such as boxing, can improve the quality of life for those with PD. Volunteers can assist in setting up classes, work directly with clients, and more. Visit Engage W&L’s Local Organizations page for information about volunteering at Rock Steady Boxing! You can also email RSB directly at [email protected].

02/04/2025

Complete a survey about the relationships between W&L and the community!

This survey aims to deepen understanding of the relationship between W&L and the communities of Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County. W&L wants to hear from you regarding your interactions with the university, its employees, students, and alumni, as well as your experiences on campus. This survey is administered by the Community Engagement Service Learning Advisory Committee at Washington and Lee University.

To complete the survey, please click here: http://bit.ly/surveywluedu

10/18/2024

The Collaborative is a group of faculty and instructors trained on the most innovative practices in Community-Based Learning. It provides them with various resources and connections within W&L and the community. Throughout this experience, faculty and instructors design their own CBL courses and examine their understanding of community engagement.

Here are the 2024-2025 members, including Sascha Goluboff, Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Director of Community-Based Learning.

Professor Conley
Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy

Donald Ga***rd
Research Archaeologist and Instructor

Professor Passidomo
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies

Professor Rosenthal
Visiting Assistant Professor of American History

Professor Staples
Assistant Professor of English and Editor of Shenandoah

JT Torres
Director of the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning
(not pictured)

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBRWEzbs0j3/?igsh=aXl1a2ttNXprNTc3

10/17/2024

On September 11th, the Community Engagement and Service Learning Advisory Committee and the Office of Community-Based Learning organized the annual Community Engagement Fair!

Gathered on Cannan Green, students connected with 31 community organizations across the Rockbridge Area and learned about volunteer and service opportunities.

While getting to know various community organizations, students enjoyed snacks, free t-shirts, a tie-dying station, cupcakes, and a prize raffle!

The annual Community Engagement Fair provides students a wonderful opportunity to learn about our local community and get involved!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBOfQX8Rb30/?igsh=MWM4azJxZHdhZGFmYg==

01/30/2024

The office of Community-Based Learning is proud that Washington and Lee has been recognized with the 2024 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement! We would like to especially recognize the dedication of our community partners, student volunteers, engaged faculty and staff, and service programs that support and grow our community.

Washington and Lee University has been awarded the 2024 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, an elective designation that indicates an institutional commitment to community engagement. W&a…

06/21/2023

Thanks W&L Community-Based Learning, Rockbridge Regional Tourism, the DelLaney Center at W&L, and the Community Foundation for Rockbridge, Bath and Alleghany

02/14/2023

Students in Physics/Engineering 207, Electric Circuits, participated in Electric Monday. On Electric Mondays, W&L students visited the afterschool YMCA at Central Elementary and Waddell Elementary to teach the elementary children the basics of circuits. Here the students in Physics/Engineering 207 became the teacher. They took the concepts they learned in labs and taught them through hands-on activities with students. Students in this course had the opportunity to put what they learned in the classroom into practice while becoming role models for young students in our local community. An elementary student stated, “I love when W&L comes, they are so fun.” This Community-Based Learning experience fostered an environment that made learning fun for both the Washington and Lee students and the elementary school students.

02/06/2023

In POV 296, Special Topics in Poverty Studies – Hope, Justice, and Change, W&L students learn side-by-side with individuals incarcerated at the Augusta Correctional Center. Together they participate in an intensive, in-depth examination of thinkers, approaches, policies, and debates in the field of poverty and human capability studies. In POV 296, students, also known as scholars, last spring discussed the ways in which justice and forgiveness can help bridge the disconnect in society due to governmental/political injustices and atrocities. Alina de Zoysa, a student who took the course last year stated, “This is a course that still lingers in my mind and affects how I go about my day. I use the tools and definitions of mercy, justice, and forgiveness to improve relationships with those in my daily life.” Another student in POV 296, Jennifer Ventura, learned, “you cannot change a community unless you are engaged and communicate with them [community members]”. Students in the past have highly enjoyed POV 296, and highly recommend the course. Students interested in connecting and learning alongside community members from Augusta Correctional Center are encouraged to email Professor Pickett to learn more about registering for this course.

02/02/2023

Are you looking for a summer internship? The Virginia Innovation Accelerator is looking for 3 summer interns. As an organizational component of The Advancement Foundation, The Virginia Innovation Accelerator (VIA) provides start-up training for emerging entrepreneurs, helps launch and identify funding for new small businesses, and creates and cultivates local and regional economic prosperity. The first intern will work to create an Entrepreneur Alumni Network. The second will use graphic design and branding to create entrepreneur visual communication images. The third intern will conduct agribusiness research to provide forward thinking insight and generate new ideas and recommendations. If any of the internships interest you, apply through handshake by May 5th. Questions? Email Bethany Ozorak, Assistant Director of CBL, at [email protected].