Lead Presenter
Robert Shumer, Ph.D.
Robert Shumer, Ph.D, has been involved in education for 38 years. He taught in middle and high school, was a school librarian and counselor, and ran a community-based high school program (all in Los Angeles). He taught at UCLA and was Director of Field Studies from 1986 to 1992. He joined the staff at the University of Minnesota in 1992 and has conducted research on service learning, civic education, experiential learning, and national service. He was the founder and Director of the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse from 1993 to 2001 and Co-Director of the Center for Experiential Education and Service Learning from 1994 to 2001.
Dr. Shumer currently lectures in the Curriculum and Instruction Department (College of Education and Human Development) at the University of Minnesota. He also teaches in the School of Social Work, covering youth and community engagement topics. His current research interests involve civic and service programs in several states, including New Mexico, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Minnesota. He works with youth-led evaluation and wrote a guidebook on this subject; and he is currently also involved in programs that engage youth in community programming.
