Rather than only discussing with classmates or writing an essay on their service experience, students who enroll in Business and Professional Communication at the University of West Florida have to do a presentation to the board. Students in the class, who come from a range of business disciplines, are paired with nonprofit agencies that can use the students specific expertise in fundraising, marketing, accounting or management. After having done 20 hours of service, each student writes a proposal to benefit the community agency where he or she worked and presents it to that agency s board of directors. The real-life presentation helps students to carefully think through their service.

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