What is (are) the role(s) of the University in Community?

Drew Stelljes - The goals of American higher education have included the preparation of citizens for active involvement in community life since the founding of Harvard College in 1636. In The American College and University: a History, Rudolph (1962) reports that the public purpose of the American college includes a responsibility to the past, the present and the future. Rudolph and others reported that This responsibility requires colleges and universities to substantially address the embedded and emerging social problems of our communities. Do you agree?

Since the early 1980s an increasing interest in service has reflected a concern that institutions of higher education should be more responsive to society and that higher learning in general ought to have greater relevance to public life (Boyer, 1987, 1994; Rhoads, 1998; Wingspread Group, 2004). Derek Bok (1982) challenged administrators and faculty when he wrote, “there is no reason for universities to feel uncomfortable in taking account of society’s needs; they have a clear obligation to do so” (p.11). A report sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation, written by Frank Newman (1985), made the case explicit. Newman wrote, “If there is a crisis in education in the United States today, it is less that test scores have declined than it is that we have failed to provide the education for citizenship that is still the most important responsibility of the nation’s schools and colleges”(p.31).

Over the past twenty years, service and service-learning have established a foothold on college campuses. Volunteer centers have formed and faculty members in various disciplines have initiated service-learning, a wave of experiential education wrapped in service activity, reciprocal learning and purposeful reflection. It has been predicted that service-learning may accomplish both the academic aims of the academy and positively contribute to the vitality of the community. Volunteer centers opened their doors across the country in an effort to: support a culture of service, infuse that culture of service into the academy and more recently to respond to students’ interest in local and global social concerns. Many would argue that colleges and universities have been responsive to student interest and activism rather than being proactive about trying to stimulate a culture of service. When volunteer centers opened their doors they opened themselves up to the larger community and suggested they might serve as a social service agency, in some cases a surrogate, to what was missing in the community. But does higher education have the capacity to be a social service agency? Is that part of the role of higher education? Is the role of higher education to teach students, to transform community? Both? Is that possible?

Impact studies have demonstrated a wide range of student development or interpersonal outcomes including a sense of efficacy, connection to community, appreciation for diverse populations and interest in course work to name a few. A casual observer may attribute this effort to be successful, however a closer examination of service-learning brings about a variety of questions:

· Have we ever transformed community so that student service is no longer needed?
· Is it the role of higher education to transform students? Or communities? Both? Neither?

I have offered a variety of nuggets for you to chew on. Wrestle with them now, together. What is the role of the university in community?

Planet in Peril

Check this out:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/09/28/what.matters.meltdown/index.html

4 minute video.

Joel Schwartz' Comments

Hi All,

Joel presented so many nuggets of information and I found myself thinking about his assertions throughout his talk. One question I have: If the country is so much less engaged, what does that say about the dramatic increase in college student involvement in service, in activism, in advocacy work, in justice work? Are Schwartz and Putman ignoring that trend? Will we see a resurgance of community engagement in the next 20 years? Even though PTA membership is down otehr membership is up - and it's up in some really important organizations that rely on consistent commitment to a cause and not an annual check.

Comments, disagreements, etc....

Drew

Skyler N. Halbritter

Hey all! I am a little late to the SLC posting, but better late than never!

Name: Skyler N. Halbritter

Year: 2011

Service Activities: Alpha Phi Omega, more specifically I tutor at Matthew Whaley on Tuesday and Thursday, also I went on the Inaugural Spring Break Service Trip with APO to Biloxi, Mississippi

Hometown: Richmond, VA and also West Virginia

Concept of Service: Well, where to begin? I think connecting and forming relationships with other people is the most human thing someone can do. Service is the greatest way to form these connections and relationships because we are sharing an experience, but also gaining a (usually) tangible benefit in return. My life is filled with purpose because I am able to help others. I serve my community by tutoring children who need the extra help and attention, and I serve the world by being a steward of Christian principles which I believe in strongly. Service is a tricky concept because in international settings, we constantly struggle with being able to establish sustainable communities. We also strive to facilitate change, while creating a longterm environment that will not rely on outside help. In the end I think service is about loving people you know little about, and helping to better the societies that we and other people of this world live in. I think Ghandi said it best that "we find ourselves in service others." And that is where I find myself everyday.

Until we meet again,

Skyler

From Brittney Calloway

Name: Brittney Calloway

Major: English and Philosophy

Hometown: I was born in Manhattan, NY but I currently reside in Edison, NJ (5 min from Rutgers' campus)

Favorite Book: I have way to many to name but I would have to go with Beloved by Toni Morrison.

Ramble: I am a rising sophomore here at the college and am involved in numerous activities here on campus but have not done as much service as I would have liked to. In high school volunteering at shelters, foodbanks, Girl Scouts,Habitat for Hummanity, as a tutor all of these were actiities that were in my daily regemine and were ongoing service activities but this past year all the GREAT service opportunities here at the college came to me after the deadline to apply:*-(...however this year I was apart of TCO (tribe college outreach) where I tutored high school students once a week. I am also apart of the organization Aids in Tanzania where I will be traveling to Tanzania in December as a volunteer for the Aids/HIV project. This summer I was also involved with ESL teaching spanish workers English. At the college I am also apart of Judicial Council, NAACP, and William and Mary Model Congress .Giving back to others in need means the world to me and is something I value deeply. What drives me most in all of the organizations I am in, is the opportutinty to help others in need...not myself.

I spy...

Drew Stelljes! 

Hey!

Sorry this is so late! I am in the same boat as Stephanie in terms of internet this summer. I look forward to meeting you all this semester. Looks like we have a fabulous group!

P.S. I'm in the blue shirt in this picture.

Name: Megan Coolidge

Major: International Relations and Hispanic Studies

Hometown: Great Falls, VA

Service Involvements: Students Helping Honduras, CPALs ESL tutoring, and Sharpe Community Scholars

Favorite Book: The Poisonwood Bible

Rambling about service: My parents always did a great job of emphasizing the importance of service to my brothers and I when we were growing up. I think as I have gotten older and had the opportunity to be involved with a variety of different projects, I have noticed that my favorite part of service is the connections and friendships you form with people...whether it is people you are serving or people you are serving with. As a few others have mentioned, William and Mary's dedication and emphasis on service was one of the main characteristics that attracted me to this school. Because of the strong emphasis on civic engagement at the college, I have been able to combine my passion for community service with my academic courses and have been able to put both to use in service organizations such as Students Helping Honduras. The academic courses, service organizations, and people I have met at W&M have shown me how you can transform community service from a weekly activity to a part of everything you do.