One thing is for sure, students in the Local Green civic engagement project are not afraid to get their hands dirty!

On September 22nd, students went to Brier's Mill Run in Riverdale, Maryland to remove trash and debris that pollute the nearby streams. This project was arranged through the Anacostia Watershed Society, one of Local Green’s community partners.

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC) in partnership with the New York Life Foundation recognized its 2012 Higher Education Civic Engagement Awardees during a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC) recognized their 2012 Academic Affairs Award recipients during a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. TWC celebrated devoted faculty, engaged universities and special partners for their work in the fields of civic education and leadership.

Awardees included:

Newt Minow is the Former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate telecommunications. Minow talked about the evolution and role of debates in the political process, and how they are affected by the quickly changing landscape of the media.

John Heilemann is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Game Change, about the 2008 presidential campaign, which was adapted into award-winning movie by HBO. He is also a journalist for New York magazine, where he mainly covers U.S. politics.

Roger Simon is the Chief Political Columnist at POLITICO, a political journalism organization that was established in 2007 to cover the politics of Capitol Hill, the presidential campaign and presidency, and the business of Washington lobbying and advocacy. Simon talked about the political landscape for the 2012 elections.

This fall TWC launched their new Domestic Violence Fall 2012 Civic Engagement Project in partnership with the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), a highly-respected social change organization dedicated to creating an environment where violence against women no longer exists. As part of the advocacy component, students worked with NNEDV to support reauthorizing the Violence against Women Act (VAWA).

As part of the seminar course component of the TWC-Elon Legal Externship Program, fall students are participating in a legal practicum.

Legal externs receive the opportunity to merge legal skills cultivated this semester in their externship with the knowledge accumulated from law school courses by assisting in a pro-bono case on behalf of a DC area non-profit. At the completion of the project, the externs will be writing a legal journal article and submitting it for publication in a legal journal.

The Washington Center hosted a "Conversation on Leadership," welcoming Henry Givray, President and CEO of SmithBucklin Corporation, to the Blinken Auditorium. Mr. Givray offered TWC fall interns insights into the fundamentals of leadership and provided ways to incorporate these fundamentals into both their personal and professional lives.