CommunityCampus Collaborations: The Shriver Center as a Model for Student, Faculty and Staff Engagem

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Community-Campus Collaborations The Shriver
Center as a Model for Student, Faculty and Staff
Engagement

• Michele K. Wolff
• Lori Hardesty
• Beshon Smith

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Introductions

• Name
• Home Institution
• As a college student, what was your first civic
  engagement activity?

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UMBC An Overview

• Vision public university integrating teaching,
  research, service to benefit society
• Mission social responsibility
• Demographics/Stats enrollment diversity, areas
  of focus

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The Shriver Center An Overview

• History
• Mission/Purpose and alignment with UMBC
• Programs
• Professional Practice (public service)
• The Choice Program (post grad service-learning)
• Service-Learning
• The Shriver Peaceworker Program
• Undergraduate Service-Learning K-12 partnerships

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The Shriver Center four lives

• VIDEO

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• Questions Answers

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Professional Practice
Professional Practice staff develop and manage
over 1,200 undergraduate and graduate internship,
research, and cooperative education placements
each year.
FY 03 - 651 FY 04 - 683 FY 05 - 799 FY 06 -
979 FY 07 - 1141 FY 08 - 1285
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Professional Practice programs support the campus
in various ways including

• Strengthening UMBCs visibility and reputation
  through the internship and co-op placement of
  undergraduate and graduate students in national
  and regional companies and nonprofit and
  government organizations.
• Strengthening UMBCs capacity to produce a
  skilled workforce by providing undergraduate and
  graduate students with an opportunity to connect
  theory to practice through applied learning.
• Providing essential administrative/logistical
  support to faculty and administrative departments
  for the placement and evaluation of UMBC students
  in applied learning opportunities.

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Professional Practice Infrastructure

• Designed to ensure that intentional and
  formalized learning occurs and is assessed.
• The three step process includes
• Credential Review
• Referral Process
• Practicum Placement

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The Shriver Center Partners with Academic
Departments to Coordinate the Placement Process
along with Credit
The Practicum Accompanies ALL placements Transcri
pt notation Links students work to upper-level
credits Receive guidance and support
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The Practicum
Learning Objectives Timekeeping
Record Mid-Placement Review Seminars Evaluations R
eflective Journal
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Career Development Alumni Statistics

• 51 of all respondents (co-op and internship)
  received offers of permanent employment from
  their intern/co-op employer.
• 93 of respondents were employed or in graduate
  school in 3 months or less following graduation
  from UMBC (with 61 finding immediate employment
  or entry into graduate school upon graduation).

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Service-Learning Program

• Effective strategy to connect the resources of
  UMBC students, faculty, and staff with the
  greater community
• Award-winning community service/service-learning
  program
• 30 community partners
• Opportunities for credit
• Scholarships available (France Merrick)

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Variety of Service Issue Areas/Settings

• Adults
• After-school mentoring programs
• Animals
• Hospitals
• Project HEALTH
• School Outreach

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New K-16 Faculty Partnerships

• POLI 309 Our Civic Voices
• EDUC 410/658 Teaching Reading in the Content
  Area
• American Studies Exploration for Fall 2009
• Richard Blissett Majors Rep

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Growing Numbers

• 31 increase from FY 08 to FY 09 (453 vs. 594)
• Utilize 10 paid Service-Learning Interns who
  lead several service sites
• Bi-weekly meetings regarding volunteer
  management, administrative support, and
  professional development
• Other service leaders are invited to participate

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France Merrick Scholarship Program

• Created in 1995 through support of the France
  Merrick Foundations
• Upcoming group will be the 14th cohort
• Recognizes strong commitment to service and
  academics
• Plan service projects throughout the school year
• 2 Fellows and 5 Scholars are selected each year
• Fellows receive full tuition, room board, and
  fees
• Scholars receive a 1000 scholarship

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Shriver Living Learning Center

• Opened in 2000
• First Living Learning Community at UMBC
• 28 students and a Resident Advisor with a passion
  for service
• Participate in service-learning each semester
• Community-building 1-credit course in the fall
• Continued activities in the spring

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Service-Learning Practicum

• Goal-setting/Learning Objectives
• Timesheets
• Weekly Reflection Questions
• On-going communication with sites
• Group Reflection Sessions
• Evaluations

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UMBCServes

• Collaboration across campus involved with
  service Office of Student Life, Residential
  Life, Department of Athletics, Shriver Center,
  and Student Orgs Who Serve (SOWS)
• Brainstorm, plan, and implement service projects
  across campus
• Volunteer Week
• Volunteer Recognition Ceremony

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Impact on Student Success Undergraduate Students

• First-time, full-time freshmen engaged in an
  applied learning experience at some point in
  their academic career are retained and graduate
  at a significantly higher rate than students who
  do not engage in a similar experience.
• 74 of respondents indicate an increase in their
  motivation to continue and persist to graduation
  as a result of their internship/co-op experience
  (student placement evaluations, Fall 2007 through
  Fall 2008 n678).
• Full-time, first time freshmen who engaged in
  service-learning were significantly more likely
  than those who did not to feel more integrated
  within the campus community on all fronts
  academically, socially with peers, and in
  interactions with faculty.

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(No Transcript)
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Peaceworker Program Vision

• Building Peace and Community through Service and
  Learning in the Spirit of Sargent Shriver and his
  Peace Corps legacy.

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Peaceworker Infrastructure

• Graduate Study
• Community Service
• Structured Reflection

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(No Transcript)
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Choice Vision Mission

• Vision envisioning communities where youth make
  choices that strengthen their lives, their
  families, and their world.
• Mission strengthening communities through
  innovative, family-focused strategies that
  connect youth to opportunities for positive
  choices.

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Choice Model

• Works out of 9 offices across Maryland
• Identifies links the youth and families with
  social supports (Resource brokering)
• Fosters caring adult relationships (Mentoring,
  home visits)
• Develops high expectations (College Night)
• Provides meaningful participation
  (Recs/activities)

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Choice Service-Learning Fellowships

• Program Structure Benefits
• One year of service
• 22,200 Living Allowance
• AmeriCorps Education Award
• UMBC Health Insurance
• Professional Development
• First Quarter Social Issues Problems
• Second Quarter Identifying Resources
• Third Quarter Systems of Delivery
• Fourth Quarter Effecting Change

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Choice Campus Community Partnerships

• UMBC Honors College, Department of Education,
  Meyerhoff Sherman Scholars Programs
• UMCP and Loyola College (College Night Program)
• Maryland Department of Education
• Public, private vocational schools
• Community-based, non-profit service providers
• Local businesses management boards
• Foundations

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Choice Outcomes

• Cost Effective- Choice 4,500 vs.. Detention
  40,000
• 83 of Choice youth did not recidivate
• 80 of Choice youth remain in the community and
  avoid out-of-home placement

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Elements of Successful Community-Campus
Collaborations

• Relationship building
• Communication
• Mutual benefit (Reciprocity)
• Mission driven programs
• Time-tested infrastructure
• Positive outcomes and community impact
• Replication and adaption

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Questions