| Source: Sarena D. Seifer, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, May 2002 | ||
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 | Institutional Structures | |
| As service-learning in higher education becomes more prevalent across a wide range of academic disciplines, colleges and universities are increasingly investing in institutional structures that can help sustain and institutionalize service-learning. | ||
| There are a number of institutional structures for service-learning within higher education. The most common forms are: | ||
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| Many centers and offices - whether containing the term "community service", "service-learning," or "public service" - embrace and support a variety of ways for students to become involved in the community. It is important to note that there is no "right" way to construct such a center. Decisions about the name, location, lines of reporting, staffing and scope are very much dependent on the institutional mission, culture and circumstances under which an institutional structure is being proposed. | ||
| Below are brief examples, relevant resources and a recently conducted analysis of the "pros" and "cons" of whether these structures should be housed within academic affairs, student affairs or both. Descriptions for common staff or faculty positions (i.e., director of service-learning, faculty liaison for service-learning) are provided. A review of these position descriptions can provide enormous insight into the range of services and programs offered by institutional structures for service-learning in higher education. | ||
| Examples of Centers and Offices | |
| The Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at the University of Michigan is home to multiple community learning programs and houses the OCSL Press (which produces the annual Michigan Journal of Community-Service Learning). Through these programs and publications, the Ginsberg Center hopes to engage students, faculty members, university staff, and community partners in a process which combines community service and academic learning in order to promote civic participation, build community capacity, and enhance the educational process. | ||
| The Center for Service-Learning at Bates College is an umbrella organization committed to facilitating a wide variety of community service and service-learning experiences. The Center arranges all the contacts and logistical details for faculty and students who wish to incorporate service-learning as an integral part of a course. It develops and assists in the placement of students in internships and on-site research efforts during the academic year as well as in the summer. The Center promotes arrangements that encourage extracurricular organizations, residences, and other groups to become involved with community projects of service. | ||
| The Miami-Dade Community College Center for Community Involvement's mission is to enhance student learning, meet community needs, and foster civic responsibility & sense of caring for others. The Center is housed within the Academic Division of the College and is responsible for all service-learning and America Reads activities of the College. In addition, the Center functions as a volunteer clearinghouse for students, staff, and faculty who wish to get involved in community service. With full-service Centers on three campuses, and outreach programs to all campuses, the Center serves the entire College. | ||
| The Center for Service-Learning at Western Washington University exists to facilitate quality educational experiences through community-based service-learning. The Center connects campus and community resources to create diverse learning experiences and to serve community needs. Its programs integrate the academic, service and reflection components of service-learning by providing resources, including training and technical assistance, to students, faculty and community. | ||
| The Office of Volunteer and Public Service at Georgetown University upholds the Jesuit mission to educate men and women for others by engaging Georgetown students, staff, and faculty in community-based work to deepen their understanding of community and social justice and to explore the link between service and academic theory. | ||
| The Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University sponsors over 50 student-led community-based projects, provides support and resources for students interested in doing service in local community agencies and maintains a database of service opportunities. | ||
| The Carlson Center at the University of Washington is committed to engaging undergraduates in understanding, building and improving communities and as a result, defining citizenship. The Center develops and supports programs designed to incorporate academic coursework with community-based learning and leadership. | ||
| Community University Partnership is a campus-wide initiate developed by California State University at San Bernardino to build and advance partnerships that serve the counties of San Bernardino and Riverside. CUP's mission is to advance partnerships which foster increased economic vitality, improved and more far-reaching educational opportunity, more and better cultural and artist opportunities, higher health status for local residents, and improved quality of life for families and communities. CUP provides regional leadership in partnership development, facilitates and supports community partnership development, hosts an annual Symposium for campus and community partners to network, maintains an on-going inventory of campus partnerships, and offers fellowships (grants) to any campus employee to build and support partnerships. CUP also supports regional and campus leadership in developing and applying service-learning and being a regional clearinghouse for partnership efforts. | ||
| The Community Involvement Center at Rice University advises over 10 student run service organizations including the Rice Student Volunteer Program, established in 1985. The CIC offers an extensive database of volunteer opportunities; a volunteer and literacy resource library; a bi-weekly e-newsletter containing information on volunteer, internship, and employment opportunities; three Outreach Days per year; a volunteer and career fair; and several programs which involve students, faculty, and staff in local, national, and international service. | ||
| Examples of Service-Learning Councils | |
| The charge of the Service-Learning Faculty Council at Our Lady of the Lake University is to increase campus awareness and support of service-learning by advising the Director of Service-Learning and Volunteerism on ways of linking the service-learning pedagogy with OLLU faculty and curriculum. | ||
| The mission of Depaul University's Public Service Council is to assist faculty to incorporate meaningful public service and service learning into their course work. The Council currently supports two grant programs and a series of annual faculty awards for service. | ||
The mission of the
Service-Learning Committee at Gonzaga
University is to
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| Examples of Dedicated Positions | |
| The position descriptions below were taken from recent job announcements. | ||
| Director of Community-Based Learning Portland State University's Center For Academic Excellence (CAE) | ||
| This position works with faculty, administrators, and community partners focusing on community-based learning courses and student learning outcomes. The director advances relationships between the university and the community by: | ||
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| Key responsibilities of the Director of Community-Based Learning include: | ||
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| Organizational Structure: The Director of Community-Based Learning reports directly to the Director of the Center for Academic Excellence. The Assistant Director of Learn & Serve and a faculty-in-residence report directly to the Director of Community-Based Learning. Key Contacts: The Director of Community Based Learning is expected to maintain on-going communication with, but not limited to, the CAE Faculties-in-Residence, The University Studies Capstone and Cluster Coordinators, The Office of Institutional Research and Planning, The Director of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies, The Office of Student Affairs and the project directors of relevant grant-funded projects (such as The Urban University Portfolio Project, the Kellogg-funded Civic Learning Project, and the FIPSE-funded Civic Engagement Project). | ||
| Qualifications: This is a full-time, 12-month position. Qualified individuals should have demonstrated successful leadership and project management, experience with community-university partnerships, and a strong interest in community-based scholarship. The ideal candidate will be an individual who has worked both with faculty from different disciplines and with a variety of community members, who has taken that work into the classroom, and who has translated this work into scholarship. A Ph.D. (or terminal degree appropriate to disciplinary expertise) is required. | ||
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| Lecturer/Coordinator of Students for Community
Service Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning California State University, Fresno | ||
| Initial appointment is for one year. An appointment to a second or third year may be considered annually based on budget and performance. | ||
| Salary: Placement on the salary schedule is dependent upon academic preparation and professional experience. | ||
| Teaching Load: 12 units per semester | ||
| Course Level: Undergraduate | ||
| Specific Position Characteristics: | ||
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| Qualifications: Academic Preparation: Required: Masters Degree in Education or Human Services related field. Teaching or Other Professional Experience: Required: In-depth familiarity with community service and service-learning fields. Knowledge of local, state, and national service fields. Demonstrated ability to develop and manage funding through grants and other means. Demonstrated sensitivity to the needs of a diverse student population. Desired: Experience teaching university level service courses. The successful candidate must have the ability to work effectively with faculty, staff and students from diverse ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. | ||
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| Assistant Dean for Community Service
Programs Marquette University | ||
| The Assistant Dean is responsible for the coordination, promotion and implementation of the nationally-recognized student community service/volunteer programs in the Center for Community Service housed in the Office of Student Development; including, administering the Marquette University Community Action Program, advising the student community service organizations, developing and maintaining partnerships with community agencies and service sites, and planning campus-wide service events, registration, recognition and reflection activities. Additionally, as part of the leadership team in the Office of Student Development, the Assistant Dean assists in strategic planning, assessment and program evaluation efforts and represents the Office on Student Affairs and University committees. | ||
| Qualifications: Master's degree in Student Personnel Administration, Higher Education Administration, Public Service or related field preferred. Bachelor's degree and 2-4 years of full-time experience in the administration of college student programs required. Candidates should possess strong oral and written communication skills; and commitment to, knowledge of and experience with leadership training and multicultural programming. Candidates are sought who can enrich Marquette University's cultural, racial, and ethnic communities and can actively support the mission and tradition of Catholic, Jesuit education. | ||
| This is a full-time, twelve-month position reporting to the Assistant Vice President/Dean of Student Development. Available immediately. Salary commensurate with credentials and experience. | ||
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| Service-Learning Coordinator The Career and Community Learning Center (CCLC) at the University of Minnesota | ||
| CCLC coordinates career services, internships, community involvement and service- learning; monitors and advises students about independent study options; and administers a variety of domestic, off-campus study programs. CCLC has a project-oriented and team management approach to accomplishing its work. | ||
| The Community Involvement and Service-Learning portion of CCLC (1) provides support to departments and faculty teaching courses throughout the Twin Cities campus with community- based learning components; (2) cultivates partnerships with local community organizations; (3) supports co-curricular community- based learning by advising students on community involvement opportunities and provides opportunities for student leadership through the student-led Community Empowerment through Learning and Leadership (CELL) program; and (4) designs and implements a pre-entry orientation and training curriculum and a reflection series for students involved in service-learning courses and in co-curricular programs facilitated by community partners. | ||
| Position description: 100%-time; 12-month position to begin July 1, 2001. Salary in the high 20's, including excellent benefits. Funding for this position has been secured for three years, position is annually renewable based upon satisfactory performance. Reports to the Coordinator of Service-Learning and Community Involvement. | ||
| Key Responsibilities: | ||
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| Required qualifications. Bachelor's degree. Two years experience working with community service programs involving college or university students. Knowledge of and capacity to articulate the value of service-learning in higher education. Ability to communicate effectively (both orally and in writing) with diverse populations, including: faculty, community members, students, and University administrators. Demonstrated experience and success working with people representing U.S. cultural diversity. One year paid or unpaid community involvement experience. Demonstrated ability to prioritize and balance multiple tasks and responsibilities. 2. Preferred qualifications. Master's degree. Experience working with college or university faculty members in combining service and learning in undergraduate courses. Knowledge of community organizations and governmental organizations in the Minneapolis / St. Paul metropolitan area. Experience designing and implementing assessment processes to evaluate and improve service-learning programs. | ||
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| Assistant Director of Community Involvement Rice University | ||
| Reporting to the Director of Community Involvement, the Assistant Director assists in coordinating, maintaining, and refining the programs of the Community Involvement Center (CIC); supports the efforts of student leaders in community service; and advocates and promotes community service and volunteerism to the Rice community. | ||
| The Assistant Director: | ||
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| Qualifications and experience: The successful candidate will have a Master's Degree in student personnel or a related field, two years experience in coordinating campus service programs, experience advising student organizations, demonstrated commitment to student community service, strong organizational and interpersonal skills, the ability to work autonomously as well as in a team, the ability to maintain effective working relationships, and a working knowledge of Macintosh computer systems, databases, e-mail, and the internet. Experience with alternative spring breaks and international service trips; budget management; advising tutoring or mentoring programs; coordinating campus-wide events; the ability to speak conversational Spanish; and experience with FileMaker Pro, Microsoft Word, and creating Web Pages (Dreamweaver) are preferred. | ||
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| Director of Community Outreach and Service
Learning Baldwin-Wallace | ||
| The Office of Community Outreach is situated within the Department of Student Affairs. The Director reports directly to the Vice President for Student Affairs. The "working mission" of the Office is to prepare students for effective participation in public life. To fulfill this mission, we are seeking a hard-working, student-centered individual to organize and promote community service and service-learning by working with students, faculty, and community agencies. | ||
| Specific Job Responsibilities Include the Obligation to: | ||
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| Qualifications: | ||
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| A Discussion of Where Structures for Service-Learning Should be Administratively Located | |
| In February 2001, the Bonnie J. Wetzel Coordinator, Center for Service Learning Center for Service Learning at Nazareth College conducted a survey on the CSF Service-Learning Email Discussion List (Communications for a Sustainable Future which is hosted by the University of Colorado at Boulder - link to URL on the NSLC site] Email Discussion List subscribers were asked to respond to the following inquiry: " I am interested in finding out the pros and cons of locating a Center for Service-Learning in either Academic Affairs or Students Affairs. Research suggests that approximately 70% of CSLs are housed in Academic Affairs and 30% are placed in Student Affairs (UCLA Service-Learning Clearinghouse Project; 1999 Service-Learning Needs Assessment)." | ||
| Nineteen members of the CSF Service-Learning Email Discussion List responded to the request for information on the location of and rationale for situating Service-Learning Centers in either Academic Affairs or Student Affairs. Sixteen respondents were from institutions of higher education: private and community colleges and universities across the nation. Three were from non-academic environments. Of those (in higher education) who responded, 88 percent said that their offices were located in Academic Affairs. Among those respondents, most reported directly to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and 12 percent noted dual reporting functions to Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. | ||
| Among those respondents whose offices were located in Academic Affairs, 85 percent said that the location and reporting functions were critical to provide support for and credibility to the program goals: to focus on curriculum-based service. | ||
| The rationale for the decision to locate a CSL in Academic Affairs included: | ||
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| Eighty-five percent of respondents described increased credibility as the most important reason for locating a Service-Learning Center in Academic Affairs. One respondent said, "The benefits of this location are increased accessibility to and acceptance by faculty, and the ability to focus the work of the Center on curriculum-based service. One drawback might be that it is more difficult to interest faculty in the kinds of development programming we offer." | ||
| Another responded suggested that: "We remain separate [from the volunteer community office] to emphasize to faculty that service learning isn't merely volunteering in a community agency and getting a grade for it…A grade is given for the evidence of learning the student produces, not for the service…This is especially true at a Jesuit institution, where 92 % of the students do community service some time during their 4 years." | ||
| A third respondent said, "Faculty viewed S-L as a place…where volunteering was done; therefore, it was difficult to get them to consider it as having validity as a pedagogy; We also asked the email discussion list for feedback as you did and the overwhelming response was to have it in Academic Affairs." | ||
| Several respondents suggested that situating the CSL in Academic Affairs increased their ability to institutionalize service-learning. A respondent reported that "We found greater institutionalization of service learning in a survey of 179 respondents. The reference for that research is: Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (2000). Institutionalization of service learning in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 71(3), 273-290." | ||
| One respondent suggested that access to VP of Academic Affairs increased because of the Center's location in Academic Affairs noting that "You have administrative proximity to the chief instructional officer. However, you must also have some connection with the office of student affairs (perhaps even including the officer in charge of student affairs on the SL Advisory Board); Student Affairs is vital to selling the community service portion of SL that matches with the academic learning from instruction." | ||
| Among those whose Service-Learning Centers were located in Academic Affairs, 12 percent said that they had dual reporting functions. Among the 12 percent reporting dual-reporting functions, one respondent suggested that one of the benefits of dual-reporting was collaboration "Each area takes pride in pointing to our office as an example of being able to work together on both sides of the university structure. It is essential in working with the academic departments and faculty to have the close tie to the Academic Vice President's office." Another reported on the convenience of dividing funding between departments suggesting that "We receive funding from both. [Service-Learning Coordinator] is paid by Student Life and our Faculty Director is paid by Academic Affairs. | ||
| Among those respondents who reported that the Center for
Service-Learning was located in Student Affairs, one noted dual
reporting functions in both Academic Affairs and Student
Affairs. Of those respondents whose Centers were located in Student Affairs, one respondent who reported dual reporting functions, suggested that support increased because of the location. Saying, for example, "I get better support from the institution and have a better collegial network than I would have if my office were located in academic affairs, I believe." | ||
| The overall results suggest that locating a Center for Service Learning in Academic Affairs with strong connections to Students Affairs is essential to developing a successful Service-Learning program. | ||
| Other Relevant Resources | |
| Institutional Impacts and Organizational Issues Related to
Service-Learning Identifies questions and issues related to the "engaged" campus, detailing organizational issues and institutional impacts related to service learning and highlighting: issues of definition and language; the definition of an engaged institution; the role of affiliate groups and national reports; issues of infrastructure and support; the challenges of change; and topics for future consideration. Click here to find this article in the NSLC library. | ||
| Establishing and Sustaining an Office of Community
Service A comprehensive guide to assist community service directors in creating and sustaining a campus community service office. Topics covered include student recruitment and training, liability and risk management, program assessment, and funding. Also contains an extensive appendix of forms for working with faculty, students, and community agencies. You may purchase this resource online from Campus Compact, or click here to find it in the NSLC library. | ||
| Robin's Guide To College and University Service-Learning Programs This website includes links to a number of centers and offices of service-learning. | ||
| In the NSLC Library | |
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Curriculum and Community Connection: The Center for
Service-Learning at Bates College This book chapter describes the Center for Service-Learning at Bates College in Maine. The development of the center is discussed, as well as the program structure, faculty relations, and student involvement. | ||
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Institutionalizing Service-Learning in Higher Education: Findings
from a Study of The Western Region Campus Compact
Consortium The Western Region Campus Compact Consortium (WRCCC) investigates institutionalizing service-learning in higher education. The study includes self-assessment benchmark worksheets and background materials, a summary of institutional type-specific tips for institutionalizing service-learning, and advice for the field and contributing factors for success. | ||
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Mapping the Geography of Service on a College Campus: Strategic
Questions about the Institution, Stakeholders, Philosophies and
Community Relationships The pamphlet defines organizational literacy and stakeholder analysis and notes how they are related to the success of institutionalizing service-learning at a given campus. The authors also explain four philosophies of service: liberal democracy, participatory democracy, social justice, and service as citizenship. | ||
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Weaving Service Learning Into the Fabric of Your College The ideas of sustainability in this article are offered as points to keep in mind as we go about getting service-learning programs more solidly grounded within our institutions. Ideas are organized into the following categories: institutional mission, faculty outcomes, student outcomes, community impact, coordination of services, and advancement of the field. Most topics are accompanied by a checklist and thought prompts. | ||
