Manhattan, KS: Kansas Campus Compact today announced that students at seven of its thirteen member institutions would be coordinating service activities on Kansas Day 2010. These activities are part of the inaugural Kansas Campus Compact’s “Commemorate Kansas/Serve Kansas” program.

The program was created to promote higher education participation in activities that foster a greater appreciation for Kansas history and promote opportunities for students, faculty, and community members to do measurable, meaningful, sustainable service to their communities in support of the Kansas State Historical Society’s commemoration of the 149th Kansas Day on January 29, 2010. The seven institutions received mini-grant funding from Kansas Campus Compact (KsCC) to support their efforts.

“These creative projects are an indication that students and faculty at Kansas colleges and universities are aware of the importance of connecting their education with a civic purpose that serves all of Kansas’ citizens. We hope that these efforts serve as a model for other institutions across the state,” said Matthew Lindsey, Executive Director for KsCC.

The schools participating in the Commemorate Kansas/Serve Kansas program are Butler Community College, Fort Hays State University, Garden City Community College, Hutchinson Community College, Kansas State University, Seward County Community College, and Southwestern College.  Students will be helping elementary students record interviews with their elders, designing Kansas history activities for elementary and middle school students and afterschool programming for the Boys and Girls Club, coordinating Kansas history after-school programming for the Boys and Girls Club in Hutchinson, recording oral histories of community members who played significant roles in the state’s human rights history, delivering educational presentations on the history of sustainability in Kansas to middle and high school students, and providing volunteer support for activities at the Kansas State Historical Museum. Site details can be found at http://www.k-state.edu/kscc/programs/kansas_day/projects.html.

Headquartered in Manhattan, KS, Kansas Campus Compact is a coalition of higher education committed to strengthening the collective commitment and capacity of leaders at colleges and universities to integrate civic engagement and responsibility into the higher educational curriculum and environment. For questions, contact Matthew Lindsey at (785) 320-0700.

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