When James Harris isn t leading students on spring break service projects, he keeps himself busy leading an innovative new model that integrates service-learning into academics at Defiance College. For starters, every student is affected by the curricular reform spearheaded by President Harris. In their first year, students take a service-learning seminar. After that, students take three more service-learning courses in their major, and at least one other, so that they have taken at least five service-learning courses by the time they graduate. In addition, President Harris instituted the Presidential Service Leadership Award, which recognizes 20 incoming students for their past community service by awarding them $7,500 a year to continue their community work in college.
From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy
Website: http://www.defiance.edu/pages/service_learning.html
