Learn & Serve America, Building on Our Strengths

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

-May 20th, 2009, Lewisburg, PA: Scholarship of Engagement Institute. More info coming soon. POSTPONED!

-June 11-12, 2009, Ithaca, NY: Developing a Good Heart in STEM: The First Summit on Incorporating Social Justice and Service-Learning in the STEM Curriculum. Click here for more information.

-September 25, 25 or 26, 2009: Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Planning Institute for campus teams. Two events this week--one in NY and one in PA. More info coming soon!

-October 21-22-23, 2009: Learn & Serve Showcase Event and PACC/NYCC Annual Conference Event . More info coming soon!

Pennsylvania and New York Campus Compacts are collaborating to promote institutional change by supporting service-learning, community development, and capacity-building within institutions of higher education and among community partners. The two states' combined membership consists of more than 140 institutions enrolling well over 500,000 students. PACC/NYCC encompasses two major metropolitan areas -- Philadelphia and New York City -- and urban, suburban, and rural communities. Funding for this initiative is supported by Learn & Serve America Higher Education.

The goal of the PACC/NYCC Consortium is increased academic engagement achieved through high quality service-learning activities that include preparation for service, reflection, and integration with academic curricula. The end outcome for the project is increased numbers of students persisting to graduation, along with benefits for local communities, especially the enrichment of school and community experiences for disadvantaged youth through service-learning projects. Subgrants are supported by training and technical assistance in such areas as developing service-learning projects and curricula, building community linkages, mobilizing volunteerism, developing policies that institutionalize and sustain projects, and gathering and assessing evaluation data. The project features rigorous oversight and evaluation conducted by an outside evaluator.

Below are executive summaries of funded projects to date.

Establishing & Expanding Regional Network Subgrantee Abstracts

Campus-Community Consortium of the Capital Region (NY): College partners will establish a regional network for service-learning promotion, development, coordination, and assessment in New York’s Capital Region. Activities will include training and on-going development of a cadre of service-learning faculty; creation of a formal organization to advocate, develop, coordinate, and assess service-learning initiatives; and an annual Capital Region Service-Learning Conference for students, faculty, staff and administrators from K-12 schools, community partners and college settings. Partnering Institutions: Hudson Valley Community College (NY), Russell Sage College (NY), Siena College (NY), The College of Saint Rose (NY), Unity House (NY).1

 

Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development  (PHENND) (PA): With an institutionally-focused program, the project plans to increase and improve service-learning by awarding funds to eight institutions. These institutions will work with the Philadelphia School District and their Character Education Initiative to support students with their senior projects. Additionally, regional network activities will support several other institutions in the area through quarterly meetings, an electronic newsletter and training and technical assistance. PHENND is a consortium of over 40 colleges and universities in the greater Philadelphia area that works to build the capacity of its member institutions to develop mutually beneficial, sustained, and democratic community-based service-learning partnerships. Partnering Institutions: Bryn Mawr College (PA), Cabrini College (PA), Chestnut Hill College (PA), Gwynedd-Mercy College, Montgomery County Community College (PA), St. Joseph’s University (PA), School District of Philadelphia (PA), University of Pennsylvania (PA), Widener University (PA).2

New York Metro Area Partnership (NYMAPS) (NY): This network will collaborate with at least two-community based organizations to work with youth from disadvantaged backgrounds to support academic achievement. Through faculty course development in service-learning, increasing community partnerships and training community partners in service-learning and its function enhancing student learning and betterment, the network aims to advocate for advancing service-learning across disciplines. Partnering Institutions: East Harlem Tutorial Program (NY), Lehman College (NY), New York University (NY), Marymount Manhattan College (NY), The College and Community Fellowship (NY), The City College of New York (NY), University Settlement-The Door (NY), Wagner College (NY), West Harlem Group Assistance (NY). 2

 

Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Network for Growth in Service-Learning (SPRING) (PA): This regional network will establish resources, support and pedagogical workshops for faculty members, thereby deepening the quality and sustainability of service-learning workshops in the area. The network will collaborate with the Collegiate YMCA to develop courses for faculty that meet community needs, specifically partnerships that will create success for K-12 students. Partnering Institutions: Carlow University (PA), Collegiate YMCA (PA), Duquesne University (PA), Robert Morris University (PA), Pittsburgh Cares (PA), University of Pittsburgh (PA), Waynesburg College (PA). 2

 

Western New York Service-Learning Coalition (WNYSLC) (NY): The expansion of this existing network will provide additional service-learning courses and community partnerships. The network will offer faculty development workshops, training events for community partners, symposiums and develop shared evaluation and assessment practices for the region. Partnering Institutions: Buffalo State College (NY), Daemen College (NY), D’Youville College (NY), Journey’s End Refugee Services (NY), Niagara University (NY), University of Buffalo (NY).3

 

Southern Alleghenies Learn and Serve Alliance (SALSA) (PA): The network will establish ongoing communication between and among higher education institutions, K-12 schools and community-based partners. The alliance will develop tools for the identification of community needs and assessment of service-learning activities; and provide for collaborative leadership service activities that address the top-priority need for resources and education in the community. Partnering Institutions: Communities in Schools of the Laurel Highlands (PA), Goodwill Industries, Inc. (PA), Juniata College (PA), Mount Aloysius College (PA), Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps (PA), Saint Francis University (PA).4

Developing Regional Collaboration Subgrantee Abstracts

5CC, Northeast Region Community Colleges (NJ, NY, PA): Building a regional network of community colleges, this project seeks to improve and advance participation in service-learning targeted at youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. The project involves educating faculty in the pedagogy of service-learning, and developing and strengthening partnerships with community organizations. Partnering Institutions: Kingsborough Community College (NY), Montgomery County Community College (PA), Northampton Community College (PA), Queensborough Community College (NY), Raritan Valley Community College (NJ).5

 

Binghamton Area (NY): This project will establish a service-learning collaboration between three higher education institutions in the area and increase faculty and college student participation in service-learning that addresses the needs of community-agencies. A faculty mentoring program will be established to support faculty new to service-learning. Partnering Institutions: Binghamton University (NY), Broome Community College (NY), Davis College (NY). 5

 

Lehigh Valley Research Consortium (PA): This project will develop a regional service-learning partnership targeting disadvantaged youth by creating new opportunities to connect higher education faculty and students with community organizations, local municipal governments, and elementary and secondary schools. The partnership will enable faculty to develop new service-learning opportunities that combine policy study in a variety of disciplines with interactions that assist community organizations with programs and services that meet critical needs of at-risk youth and their families. Partnering Institutions: Cedar Crest College (PA), Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 (PA), Lafayette College (PA), Lehigh University (PA), Muhlenberg College (PA) and members of the Lehigh Valley Research Consortium. 1

Service-Learning Intercollegiate Consortium of Northeast PA (SLIC NEPA) (PA): This project establishes a service-learning regional consortium that will move institutions towards sustaining service-learning through training and leadership for community organizations and institutional partners. Utilizing the expertise of service-learning professionals and community partners will foster capacity and support reciprocity. Goals of the consortia are departmental implementation of service-learning and recognizing the role that community partners play as educators. Partnering Institutions: Luzerne County Community College (PA), Keystone College (PA), King’s College (PA), Marywood University (PA), Misericordia University (PA), Wilkes University (PA). 5

Academic Discipline Network Subgrantee Abstracts

Engineering, Peace, Justice and the Earth : Faculty and staff will work collaboratively to develop course modules that incorporate service-learning projects that connect to engineering practice. Faculty development will focus on how to respond effectively to peace, poverty, under-development and environmental sustainability with the realities of current engineering curricula. Participating faculty will share their work via workshops, booklets, journal papers and conference presentations. Partnering Institutions: Binghamton University (NY), Cascadia Community College (WA), Oregon State University (OR), Queens University (Kingston, Ontario), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY), Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), Smith College (MA), University of New Brunswick (New Brunswick). 2

Erasing Boundaries—Supporting Communities: Interdisciplinary Service-Learning in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning: Faculty from the related disciplines of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning will work to expand the quantity and quality of interdisciplinary service-learning courses and activities within their institutions and to expand the collaborative service-learning projects within and between institutions and throughout the disciplines. Partnering Institutions: Hunter College (NY), Penn State University (PA), State University of New York College Environmental Sciences and Forestry (NY), Cornell University (NY), The City College of The City University of New York (NY). 2

Forging Partnerships of Justice: A Collaborative Approach to Service-learning and Incarceration: The project will provide the opportunity for faculty to discuss service-learning approaches related to the issues of both prison and prisoner re-entry initiatives. This network will determine best practices, involve practitioners in the field of prison and re-entry and develop strategies for further work and disseminating the results of their discussions. Partnering Institutions: Bloomsburg University (PA), Cabrini College (PA), Cedar Crest College (PA), Eastern University (PA), Gannon University (PA), Kutztown University (PA), Lafayette College (PA), Mount Aloysius College (PA), Swarthmore College (PA), Temple University (PA), Villanova University (PA). 2

Mathematics of Social Justice: A course development workshop on the Mathematics of Social Justice will include presentations and discussions on connections between quantitative literacy and social justice issues, and the ways in which those connections lead naturally to service-learning projects. Workshop participants will work collaboratively on course materials and on plans to share their reflections at professional meetings. Partnering Institutions: East Stroudsburg University (PA), Lafayette College (PA), Middlebury College (VT), Moravian College (PA), West Chester University (PA). 3

 

Native American Studies Interdisciplinary Service-Learning Initiative: Through the establishment of an interdisciplinary service-learning collaboration between service-learning faculty members at participating institutions and community partners, the network will increase a) the knowledge and skills of faculty members to infuse Native American Studies and service-learning within their discipline-based teaching and b) the levels of cultural understanding and civic engagement of college students. Partnering Institutions: Ganondagan Native American Cultural Center (NY), Monroe Community College (NY), Nazareth College (NY), St. John Fisher College (NY).1

Service-Learning Initiative in the Health Sciences: A one-day faculty symposium on service-learning in the health field will be held for faculty members. Participants will develop be trained and service-learning syllabi will be developed. A collection of these syllabi will be reviewed and further disseminated. Additionally, a survey to assess the effectiveness of the implemented syllabi will be completed. Partnering Institutions: Edinboro University, Gannon University, Mercyhurst College. 6

 

Endnote Descriptions

1  September 1, 2008 to Present

2  January 1, 2007 to Present

3  January 1, 2007 to August 31, 2007

4  September 1, 2007 to Present

5  November 10, 2007 to Present

6  January 1, 2009 to Present

 

March 1, 2009: Additional funding has been awarded to support projects linked to existing goals of funded regional or academic discipline network grants and supports either sustainability of the network or institutionalization on member campuses. A description of these additional funds is here (PDF). 

For further information about the Building on Our Strengths project contact Kate L. Dantsin, 717-796-5072 x 5.

 

These projects are generously supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service Learn & Serve America Higher Education. 

To learn more about this initiative, please contact Project Manger, Kate L. Dantsin.