Karen Holt

Director

Areas of Expertise
Programs	Community Visioning, Community Economic Development Academy, Southern Growth Policy Board Youth Forums, Work Ready Regions

Biography

Dr. Karen E. Holt is the first Director of the realigned Fanning Institute, a multi-disciplinary outreach unit of the University of Georgia that serves communities in Georgia and elsewhere. Fanning faculty and staff use their knowledge of leadership, community, and economic development to provide customized approaches to the complex problems facing communities and society.

Dr. Holt came to UGA with over twenty years of experience in higher education focusing on public administration, employment, and program administration. She has worked with faculty and administrators at all levels, as well as with public officials and external constituents, and has taught, trained, and published in the fields of law, political science, and education. Her expertise lies in translating complex ideas into workable solutions, a primary focus of UGA's land-grant mission.

Prior to coming to Fanning, Dr. Holt served as the Executive Director of Project Pericles, a non-profit organization founded by the philanthropist Eugene M. Lang that promotes civic engagement in colleges and universities. Dr. Holt also led the University of Virginia's Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, handled legal matters as Associate General Counsel for the University of Tennessee, and worked as an attorney in the Civil and Civil Rights Divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC.

Dr. Holt earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Tennessee, and her J.D. from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, She also holds a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Illinois. Dr. Holt serves on the Board of the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, and is a member of the Athens Rotary Club, the Georgia Economic Developers Association, and the Bars of the District of Columbia, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Blog

- The Spirit of '76 - 07.17.2008

We're in the midst of strategic planning here at Fanning, and one aspect of this has been articulating our vision--how should we clearly and succinctly describe our hopes for the impact of our work with communities? For right now, we've come up with a three part statement reflecting our highest a...

I've been thinking about what it means to be engaged. This is a pretty salient matter right now, as presidential campaigns involve a frenzy of civic-mindedness, which is certainly one kind of engagement. But, in the words of the sage political analyst Peggy Lee, "Is That All There Is?" What do we really mean when we say that we want to promote "engagement"?

At its most fundamental, to me engagement conveys activity of some sort--a curiousity about and interest in matters larger than oneself, a commitment to becoming involved, and follow through. I like the definition used by Project Pericles, a non-profit devoted to promoting education for responsible citizenship:

"Voting is one expression of civic involvement, but far from the only one. Periclean Programs strive to give students the intellectual and experiential foundations for all aspects of responsible citizenship. These include taking an interest in public affairs, engaging in civil discourse, understanding and actively participating in democratic political processes, being able to analyze news and information, cultivating and effectively advocating opinions on matters of public policy, tolerating diverse opinions, supporting free speech, being involved in community service that addresses public problems, and, above all, having the confidence that through democratic processes individuals can 'make a difference.'"

Under this definition, a community of engaged people is one in which its members/residents are informed, provide input on community matters, encourage others to participate and in turn reflect upon and consider their contributions, and invest something of themselves into influencing, developing, and implementing policies that go beyond self-interest to promote the common good.

Ok, we're getting somewhere. But how does this view comport with the dictionary definition of engagement? Here's what Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary says about what it means to be engaged:

Engaged

1 a: to pledge oneself : promise b: guarantee

2 a: to begin and carry on an enterprise or activity b: to take part : participate c: to give attention to something : deal

3: to enter into conflict or battle

4: to come together and interlock (as of machinery parts) : be or become in gear

Any and all of these definitions provides support for our vision:

1. Engaged community members/residents pledge to serve.

2. Engaged community members/residents take part and participate in the affairs of the community

3. Engaged community members/residents advocate for their positions and matters they care about [While this hopefully does not rise to the level of battle, it certainly can involve conflict]

4. And last, engaged community members/residents come together, accomplishing more by joining forces than they would be working apart.

Seems like "Engaged People" works pretty well as one of our fundamental aspirations!

Last, let's revisit one part of the definition--the notion of engagement as the making a pledge. We all know from pledges--in our shared civic life, one of our earliest tasks is to learn the Pledge of Allegiance. Its recitation is a rite of passage in elementary school, and of fealty and solemnity at many a public gathering. But what is the real engagement, the obligation, behind our affirmation of the Pledge? How do we go beyond the words and reflect our fidelity to the ideals they represent? Does wearing a flag pin or displaying Old Glory do it? Or does it obligate us to model the principles of our country, living a civic life that repays the debt we owe in exchange for the privilege of being a citizen and resident of this country?

I think the kind of patriotism we assume with our Pledge is the most fundamental allegiance we can undertake--the duty to act to ensure that our communities, our society, and our government exemplify our highest hopes and the ideals that define us as people. In sum, at its core patriotism is best reflected not by symbols, but by the reality of our commitment, participation, advocacy, and involvement. At its core, patriotism is engagement.

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