News and Events

Auburn Elementary School – Thanksgiving Food Drive Partnership Dr. Erin Jurand’s Reading and Language Arts class raised $100, collected numerous canned food items, and donated a Thanksgiving turkey to support families at Auburn Elementary School. These preservice teachers spend every Wednesday in the field at the school, working one-on-one with first graders to practice assessment skills in crucial areas of literacy and to design targeted lessons that meet each child’s needs. The students’ commitment “to service reflects the heart of our shared mission: supporting students and families both inside and outside the classroom,” said Jurand, assistant professor of education.

Hema Khatri, a junior majoring in early childhood education and a teacher in a Great Start Readiness Program, transformed her coursework into community impact by leading a dental health outreach and family-nature project. Dental Health Initiative  Inspired by RCU classes such as Family Education and Advocacy, Khatri transformed her coursework into community impact by leading a dental health outreach for preschoolers at Heartfelt Impressions Learning Center – Lake Orion. She partnered with local pediatric specialists to provide free dental screenings and health education to more than 120 children and families. “RCU’s Christ-centered program reminds me that faith and education

Melissa StPierre (Dept. of English) presented at the 2025 Conference on Community Writing. Representing RCU, her work focused on the rhetoric of space, presenting an analysis of early childhood education classroom settings. More on the Conference for Community Writing In October 2025, the Coalition for Community Writing (CCW), Wayne State University, and Michigan State University called together organizers and activists, writers, artists, journalists, digital storytellers, teachers, students, scholars, community residents, and more, who theorize, enact, and write the stories of community change. We convened in Detroit Michigan, USA, to design justice across space, place, and time. We will use the