The center’s mission is to lead the University’s engagement efforts and service to the state of North Carolina and beyond by linking the expertise and energy of faculty, staff, and students to the needs of the people.

In all our work, the Carolina Center for Public Service seeks to build partnerships throughout the University and the state as we:

– Advance the quality and sustainability of efforts through effective practices
– Recognize and celebrate exemplary service
– Share information, strategies, and outcomes of UNC s service endeavors
– Facilitate community-based scholarship in addressing community issues

As the first public university, Carolina has a proud history of changing lives through educating scholars and leaders dedicated to forging a brighter future for our state, nation and the world. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to expanding its tradition of engagement and responsiveness through the Carolina Center for Public Service.

The center provides a number of programs and services for students, faculty, staff, and the public, including: awards, service fellowships, trainings, and enrichment programs for students; grants and awards for student organizations; trainings, awards, and grants for faculty; an online searchable database of University engagement activities; a weekly listserv of service opportunities; an annual volunteer fair of community agencies; and an annual “”Bus Tour”" of the state for new faculty and administrators.

For more information, visit our webpage: www.unc.edu/cps/

Contact:
Lynn Blanchard, Director
Carolina Center for Public Service
(919)843-7568, ccps {at} unc(.)edu

Website: http://csl.iupui.edu/communityservice.html

This is an example of a true community partnership. In Fall 1999, outgoing President Randolph asked the college to identify a project that would involve our “”GateWay Family”" (our entire campus community). About that time, we received a call from the principal of our neighboring elementary school asking us to consider becoming community consultants to deliver the Junior Achievement curriculum to all classrooms at her school. Junior Achievement s mission of teaching children to value themselves, others, their education, and the American free enterprise system aligned perfectly with the the goals of our service-learning program. A representative from Junior Achievement met with our Service-learning Committee, a interdisciplinary group charged with overseeing service-learning activities on our campus and making related recommendations to the administration, to explain the program. The committee embraced the project and recommended to President Randolph that this would be our all campus spring project.

In January, President Randolph was reassigned to the MCCD District office as Acting Vice-Chancellor for Quality and Employee Development. Acting President Gaudet made the suggestion that we form teams of GWCC personnel and service-learning students. The call went out from President Gaudet and volunteers from all divisions came forward. While all volunteers saw the project as a way to fill an unmet need for an inner city school, faculty viewed it as an opportunity to partner with their students, students saw the project as a way to interact more informally with campus personnel and administrators had an opportunity to interact more with students. In less than two weeks, all 24 classes were assigned. President Gaudet volunteered to be consultant to an 8th grade class. (As an extension activity, he and the nursing faculty member who was the consultant to the other grade class, sponsored Career Awareness visit to the campus for the 8th grade students and their parents. Thirty-five participants spent three hours at the campus completing computer based career assessments and touring the campus.)

A core team with faculty representation from each instructional division and the Director of Community Partnership Programs participated in a training workshop with the teachers from the elementary school and went through a Junior Achievement provided train-the-consultant workshop. Team members in turn provided training to campus volunteers. During the next three months, teams made 6-8 visits to their assigned classrooms to deliver the citizenship lessons. The evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive and about 75% of the consultants have asked to participate next year.

Our campus has decided to continue the project. Ideally, children who spend their K-8 years at Crockett Elementary will have nine years of citizenship and stay in school messages. We also see it as an opportunity to informally mentor our future civic leaders and our future GateWay students. We are certain that there will be additional related service-learning opportunities at the school.

Website: www.gwc.maricopa.edu/partnerships

Contact person: Michele Bush, michele.bush {at} gwmail.maricopa(.)edu

In the initial planning stages for this day, the schools were asked to engage in a needs assessment that involved school staff, parents, and students to determine a project which met a specific need in the community and, at the same time, engaged students as well as enhanced their learning. These projects were identified as a result of School-Site-Council discussions and joint sessions between Lesley College and Cambridge school representatives, including the student government organizations. The Lesley College Council for Community Service worked with members of the President’s Office to facilitate planning of ABC Day over the course of six months.

The specific project of the Agassiz School showcases Lesley College undergraduate students as active, community citizens. This particular Cambridge community project was concerned with homelessness. Over the course of a month, students throughout the school collected cans from neighborhood residents for a citywide food pantry. On April 10th, after the cans had been collected, this group of students also made lunches for the homeless in Harvard Square. Lesley College students who are members of the undergraduate service club walked with the Agassiz students into the Square, helping with the distribution of food, while sharing in a discussion with the students about the issue of homelessness in our communities.

As Lesley College celebrates its 90th anniversary, the ABC Day is a good example of a campus-wide initiative that clearly indicates the long-standing commitment of the college to the development of active, educated citizens among its students and to the cultivation of collaboration between the College and its surrounding communities.

What is so special about this program is that, although it is organized by a college staff member, it is a true community effort. Over the years, the program has been supported by the Franklin Community Center, the local elementary schools, large corporations with offices in Franklin including Putnam Investments and Garelik Farms, Franklin residents, local business owners and Dean College faculty, staff and students. These community members have given gifts in kind, grants, and offered discounts on items we have needed to purchase. Also, many have volunteered their time the day of the event. The leadership of the College has encouraged all members to participate and we have had a wonderful response. Faculty, staff and students have volunteered to serve as storytellers, arts & crafts group leaders, check-in assistants, and snack and prize distributors. In addition, some members of the Dean community have engaged groups of students to participate. For example, one year a faculty member and her entire Children s Literature class worked on the story hours. Another year, the entire Men s Basketball team volunteered their time, and members of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society did fundraising to cover the cost of providing each student with a book to take home. All of our Community Service Scholarship Students also give between 5 15 hours of their time to planning and implementing these programs.

We advertise the programs through notices that are sent home with students through the elementary schools and through press releases in the local papers. We have received a great deal of positive press coverage from these events and the Franklin community now relies on the College to provide these types of reading programs for the Franklin youth. In addition, we receive many letters of thanks from Franklin families that have participated in the program.
]]> http://www.compact.org/program-models/program-models-arts-in-service-programs/annual-reading-festival-a-fun-filled-literacy-based-event-for-children/1665/feed/ 0 http://www.compact.org/program-models/program-models-campus-wide-service-events/human-rights-peace-and-justice-committee/1736/ http://www.compact.org/program-models/program-models-campus-wide-service-events/human-rights-peace-and-justice-committee/1736/#comments Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 tdomf_26a6d http://compact.localhost.com/?p=1736 The Peace and Justice Committee, a student group at St. Joseph s College which advocates for ethical and benign treatment of people, meets weekly to discuss the latest news in human rights issues across the globe and take action in response. In the past, students have discussed such topics as welfare reform, voting issues, educational reform, world hunger and homelessness. To address the issues on a national level, they write letters to government officials emphasizing the human rights involved in such issues and requesting equity for all people. To address the issues on the local level, they hold campus-wide events and workshops that raise student awareness regarding human rights. In the past, they have held AIDS education workshops; established GreenWeek, a series of environmental events and lectures on campus; and sponsored the local Take Back the Night vigil, a midnight walk to protest violence against women.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

A series of over fifty commemorative activities centered on the theme of “”Experiencing Democracy: Inquire, Learn, Reflect”" were planned for the spring semester 2000 and beyond. Alumni, faculty, staff, students and members of the community joined in observing this milestone commemoration. Events held included the Fifth Annual Violence Symposium which featured leading experts on prejudice and violence, a film “”Journey to a Hate-free Millennium”", and artistic expressions on violence and recovery. Performances by the Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre, the Pontanima Interfaith Choir, Dance Alloy, and School of Music gave artistic expression to the theme. The University and the Cleveland Orchestra commissioned Augusta Read Thomas, composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to write a large scale work for orchestra, chorus and soprano soloist. Song in Sorrow will be premiered on July 1 by the Cleveland Orchestra and Blossom Festival Chorus. Town and gown joined in many of these events, some of which were held in off campus locations.

A scholarly symposium, The Boundaries of Freedom of Expression and Order in a Democratic Society, on May 1 and 2, was a significant component of our programming. This multi-disciplinary symposium explored the limits of freedom of expression in American society as they apply to business, education, media, law, politics, the Internet and other venues. The symposium included keynote addresses by three First Amendment experts as well as the presentation, discussion and critique of nine scholarly papers selected through an international call for papers. Audiences actively engaged in discussions with the presenters in each session. The papers of the symposium will be published by the Kent State University Press. Kent State plans to host an annual symposium on democratic values as part of its future May 4 observances.

Kent State University strives to honor the past in a manner befitting a major American university; focus world attention on issues related to the basic tenets of our democracy; and show the world that Kent State responded to its greatest tragedy with caring, creativity and commitment.

“”Experiencing Democracy”" web site: http://dept.kent.edu/30yearMay4/home.htm

Committee co-chairs: Dr. Richard A. Bredemeier and Dr. John Jameson

Service Learning Initiatives
First, the CSL assists with and expands upon the College s existing service learning initiatives. Currently, every Keystone student must take IDS 101: College Seminar, which is a three-credit course designed to acclimate new students to college studies and life. A key component of this course is a major-related service learning project. The CSL is responsible for providing expert service learning support for the approximately twenty-two sections of the course each year. The CSL also provides assistance and training to other faculty members interested in incorporating service learning into their courses. Examples of such service learning projects include: Human Services majors hosting the on-campus display of the Names Project AIDS Quilt, Physical Therapist Assistant majors volunteering at the Riverside Rumble International Wheelchair Classic, Sports and Recreation Management majors running programs at a local nursing home, Economics and Business majors working with low-income families, and Liberal Studies/Education majors mentoring/tutoring disadvantaged students through Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Campus-Wide Service Activities
Second, the CSL also directly develops and administers volunteer service projects in which the entire campus community can participate. Such projects during the current academic year include: Special Olympics Softball Game, March of Dimes Blue Jeans for Babies, Millennium Tree of Giving, Junior Achievement Shadow Day, National Volunteer Week Activities, and the American Heart Association Heart Sale. The CSL also runs an Alternative Spring Break Trip to Washington, DC. This trip first exposes the students to issues of homelessness, poverty, and justice through service work at after-school programs and soup kitchens. It then empowers the students to address these issues through discussions with members of Congress.

Volunteer Coordination
Third, the CSL encourages civic responsibility by acting as the volunteer coordinator for the College. The CSL is constantly being contacted for assistance by local community agencies and organizations, particularly by those who address low-income and literacy issues. The CSL then attempts to meet these needs by finding volunteers from the campus community. Whenever possible, the CSL provides the volunteers with transportation and training. In this capacity, the CSL also assists the campus clubs with their service project requirements. Volunteers have recently been provided for such community partners as the Friends of the Poor Thanksgiving Dinner, NEPA Community Reading Day, Christy Mathewson Park Project, Jaycees Children s Christmas Parade, United Way Day of Caring, Friendship House Children s Fair, Scranton Tomorrow Heritage Week, Lupus Foundation Family Walk/Run, District Attorney s DWI Program, and Tyler Hospital Grounds Clean-Up.

Providing leadership and citizenship development opportunities is the fourth way the CSL promotes civic responsibility. The CSL participates in the Intercollegiate Leadership Wilkes-Barre Program. Through this program, a select group of Keystone student leaders meets once a month with student leaders from other local universities to develop skills, engage in service work, interact with community leaders, and network. In addition, the CSL coordinates Keystone s participation in Pennsylvania s “”Day in the Life of Democracy,”" which includes a voter registration drive and a guest speaker. The CSL also facilitates leadership training both on campus and throughout the region and hosts conferences for local Learn and Serve grantees. Moreover, the CSL houses the only active Circle K Service Club (the collegiate affiliate of Kiwanis) in the Scranton area. Finally, the CSL hosts public lectures on civics-related topics. Recent speakers have included: Judge Richard Conaboy, former Chairperson of the Federal Sentencing Commission; Brian Reap, Member of the Scranton City Council; US Congressperson Don Sherwood; Senator Robert Mellow, PA State Senate Minority Leader; and Attorney Eric Brown, Assistant DA from NY County.

The student chapter asked for donations to purchase supplies and building materials. Local churches and civic groups responded, as did University faculty, staff and students. Donations and student volunteers have been so extensive that in 1999 two Habitat for Humanity homes will be constructed. Once Homecoming is over, homes are transported by professional house movers to a permanent site in the community where construction is completed. Students affiliated with Clemson s landscape architecture and horticulture programs donate time to landscape these homes.

The number of students involved in the construction is not known because of innumerable “”drop-ins”" during Homecoming week. However, the tally of known students participating in construction this past October was just shy of 500.

All campuses develop traditions that last for years. At Clemson the all-night efforts to construct Homecoming displays is one of those traditions. An icon of that tradition is the Habitat for Humanity project, which is viewed by our student body as a true “”service”" project provided by Clemson students as a distinctive and memorable part of their Homecoming experience.

Contact person: Chris Heavner, Habitat for Humanity Advisor, pastorc {at} clemson(.)edu
Web: http://people.clemson.edu/~habitat/

Service Learning Day
Service Learning Day is an annual event where all daytime classes are canceled and students are encouraged to get involved in service to the community. Even though there are recreational activities held as part of SLD, the main activities are service oriented. Students are divided into several groups and are assigned specific, pre-arranged service projects. This year, projects included cleaning a local Ronald McDonald House, making packets containing school supplies for children in third-world countries, preparing and serving lunch at a soup kitchen, and reorganizing a thrift store for low-income families. Students enjoy themselves and come away from the activities with a greater desire to serve.

Although our student body is relatively small (approx. 900), it is comprised of students from around the United States and the world. As a result of the many service-oriented experiences they have at the College, they are more likely to return home after graduation and serve their communities and nations.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy