Sei sulla pagina 1di 23

Engaged Scholarship

Engaged Scholarship

service on each campus that is detailed


and specific in definition and scope.
UNC Charlotte faculty conduct The UNC Tomorrow Initiative
further suggests that the resources and
a wide range of engaged research
and participate in a diverse set of expertise of UNC faculty should be
engaged scholarly activities. Faculty used to address important community
Main Purpose refers
of UNC
Faculty
statewide issues, as well as apply
engagement
to Charlotte
scholarly, and
Community
Engagement
Activities
creative,
or pedagogical
activities
for and translate research and scholarship
the broader public good. Such more directly to broader constituencies
focused on identified needs.v
Professional
activities (in the form of research,
teaching, and/ or service) developService
as
14% that respond
25% interactions
collaborative
In 2012, following a proposal from
Public Service
to short and long-term societal needs.
the Provost, the UNC Charlotte
More importantly, engaged research Faculty Council moved to revise the
30%
requires that local knowledge, universitys tenure and promotion
or
perspectives,
and resources Research
be guidelines
in the current Academic
31%
Creative
respected and valued as vital to the Personnel Procedures Handbook to
production of knowledge and practical
Activities
reflect UNC Charlottes commitment
Teaching
solutions. Scholarships
produced
to community engaged scholarship,
as a result of such collaboration teaching, and public service. This new
Source:
demonstrates
and expands current language now allows communityknowledge of the discipline, invites based research conducted with local
peer collaboration and review, is open partners to qualify as scholarship for
to critique, and is accessible.
tenure and promotion purposes at the
institutional level. This philosophical
1
brings community-engaged
The UNC Tomorrow Initiative shift
practices solely
encourages UNC institutions to
be leaders in developing stronger out of the realm of s e r v i c e , and
partnerships with the community allows the university to better
outside the institution by developing recognize these invaluable community
partnerships. The document drafted
a strategic plan for scholarly public
by the Faculty Employment Status
Committee and presented
to the Faculty Council
highlighted UNC Charlottes
history of noteworthy public
outreach and sought to
clarify
what
community
engagement means. Section
VI.C of the handbook now
explicitly defines community
engagement as research/
creative activities, teaching,
and service activities that are
collaboratively
undertaken
by faculty members with
community partners, staff,
and/or
students through
1

processes that exemplify reciprocity in


partnerships and public purposes (see
text emphasized in bold italics in Box
).
In revising the language regarding
community engagement,
Faculty
Council was careful to protect the
high-quality standard of research
conducted by faculty, while allowing
for the consideration of community
engagement as an innovative approach
to scholarship and knowledge
production. The language is also broad
enough to preserve the academic
freedom of each college to recognize
discipline-specific
approaches
to community engagement. The
Handbook now states that although
the spectrum of engaged scholarship
and
activities
varies
among
disciplines, engagement is planned
and carried out by University and
community partners, and includes:
Engaged scholarship: Scholarly
efforts to expand multifaceted
intellectual
endeavor
with
commitment to public practices and
public consequences.

Engaged activities: Artistic, critical,


scientific and humanistic work that
influences, enriches and improves the
lives of people in the community. X
The new language draws a distinction
between community engagement that
would qualify as service and facultyinvolved research with the community
as a partner. Community Engagement
and Public Service (often referred to
as outreach) are often conflated
because both approaches may occur in
the community and include activities
that involve or serve community
entities. While the latter describes
activities that are provided to, intended
for, or done in communities, the
former describes

qualify, not only as service, but as any


of the three categories for promotion
and tenure including research and
teaching depending on the nature of
work.

activities that are undertaken with


community members in a context of
reciprocal partnership. Rather than
activity or place, the key distinction
between community engagement and
community service can be determined
by the processes and purposes that
each emphasizes. xi

Daniel Hurley, director of state relations


and policy analysis at the American
Association of State Colleges and
Universities (AASCU), commends
these actions taken at UNC Charlotte
stating, It makes a tremendous amount
of common sense, and reaffirms the
public mission of these public
institutions by serving regional public
needs. xi

Provost Joan Lorden asserts that


explicitly
including
community
engagement wording in tenure and
promotion
guidelines
articulates
the value the University places on
engagement, and makes the important
work that faculty are doing with
community partners more visible.
Community engagement can now

If deliberate and inclusive language in


UNC Charlottes tenure and promotion
policy
reflects
the
outstanding
engagement that the work faculty are
already doing, the UNC System
Community Engagement and Economic
Development Metrics are a system-wide
approach to capturing and analyzing
6

information on the community


engagement activities of faculty, staff,
and students at colleges

and universities across the state.

and support UNCs capacity to be


strategic, proactive, and responsive in
developing,
maintaining,
and
celebrating
mutually
beneficial
community-university
connections
and partnerships.

In May 2012, UNC President Tom


Ross commissioned two
multi- campus taskforces to
develop concise sets of indicators, or
metrics, that all UNC campuses
The pilot process gathered information
could use to assess progress in
on community engagement in
community
engagement
and
As course
required
by Section
research,
offerings,
service- 3.1 of
3
economic
development .
The
learning, and outreach activities as
development
of
system-wide
well as the number of community
indicators are the first step to
members
participating in campus
building the capacity of General
events
that
occurred
during the 2011Administration, as well as campuses
Community engagement refers toindividually,
research/creative
activities,
teaching,
and
service activiti
2012
academic
year.
to understand the full
scope and impact of UNCs
During the pilot phase, twenty-nine
engagement in and with the state of
faculty and staff from ten colleges and
North Carolina. Awareness of the
units on campus provided information
types of and extent of activities
on their community engagement
serves as the first step towards being
projects.
The
faculty
member
better able to convey and strengthen
reporting the project can list more than
the UNCs reputation as a
one purpose. Of the 29 projects
collaborative, inclusive, responsible,
reported, 18 projects were focused on
and
effective member of
public service, 18 projects were
North Carolina
focused on research or creative
communities, and strengthen
activities, and 15 projects were

focused on teaching. Eight projects


identified professional service as the
primary purpose. Tables 1 and 2
further categorize the primary forms
and foci of community engagement
activities and projects as reported by
faculty members, depicting a diverse
range of projects.
Of the twenty-nine UNC Charlotte
projects outlined in Metric Three of
the
UNC
System
Community
Engagement
and
Economic
Development Metrics, a majority of
the projects specifically incorporated
student engagement.
Figure
represents the nature of student
engagement in the reported projects.
Community engagement projects
provided platforms for student
involvement in research and volunteer
opportunities.
Service-Learning
Numerous studies highlight the
benefits of community engagement
and service-learning, as pedagogical
and co-curricular approaches to a
students success, ... --literature
The UNC system collects data on
the number of students enrolled in
community-engaged and communitybased
courses
and
academic
learning experiences. UNC General
Administration differentiates between
community-engaged and communitybased learning.
Community-engaged learning involves
collaboration between institutions
of higher education and their larger
communities (local, regional/state,
national, global) for the mutually
beneficial exchange of knowledge and
resources in a context partnership and
reciprocity2. In contrast, community-

based learning is defined more broadly


as taking place in the community or
with a community partner.
At UNC Charlotte, community
centered coursework is required in a
number of undergraduate majors,
including
education,
nursing,
social work, sociology, gerontology,
community planning, and architecture.
Field-based learning and internships
are widespread.
According to data collected by UNC
Charlottes Office of Institutional
Research, 5,163 students (8.33% of
the student population) were enrolled
in courses offering community-based
academic learning during the 201112 academic year while 2,445 students
(3.95% of the student population)
were enrolled in community-engaged
courses during the same period.
Community service and engagement
are core elements of the 57 freshman
seminars and 16 learning communities
scheduled for 2011-12. The University
Honors Program and a number of
undergraduate programs and courses
of study have community involvement
and
public
service activities
embedded within
the curriculum.
Service-learning
is a common form
of course- based
community
engagement
for
UNC
Charlotte
students.
The
National ServiceL e a r n i n g C le
a r in g h o u s e
defines
servicelearning
as
a

Source:

teaching and learning strategy that


integrates meaningful community
service with instruction and reflection
to enrich the learning experience,
teach
civic
responsibility,
and
strengthen communities.
In March 2011, the UNC Charlotte
Faculty
Council
unanimously
approved a new service-learning
course designation and encouraged
faculty to integrate service-learning
principles into their courses. This was
passed to both encourage faculty with
current courses to apply for servicelearning designation and also to grow
the number of new courses. The
service- learning course content may
include the following goals: i) to
discover and address needs within the
community
collaboratively
with
community partners, ii) to develop
lasting, reciprocal relationships in the
community, iii) to improve skills for
critical and comparative thinking, iv)
to promote values clarification, v) to
learn practical aspects of community
service, volunteerism, and social
change, vi) to relate community
service experiences

to career goals, and vii) to help Students completing service-learning


develop a life-long commitment to or other community organizationforreceived
Service-Learning Courses
self-reflection, and its implications for based 49ershipCriteria
requirements
coursecommunity
content should
include
scholarly exploration of the concepts of citizenship, public or community serv
service
and thesocial
recognition on their transcripts. In
responsibility.
Prior
to
the 2011-2012,
18
service-learning
the course
must provide
opportunity for reflection, learning, discovery, understanding, intellectual
implementation
of an
university-wide
courses provided opportunities for
challenge, and skill development via direct, practical, hands-on experience;
standards,
some
faculty
and
students to engage in service-oriented
departments were unaware of service 49erships,
internships
with
a significant
of the
should be devoted to some form of service to the campus or com
learningpercentage
opportunities,
whilecourse
others activity
community-based service and outreach
global);
offered courses with service learning organizations and public service
pedagogy, but did not realize they agencies. 49erships are open to
a substantial
partdesignated
of the course
grade will involve reflection on the
could be
as servicestudents in all seven service
colleges.experience.
learning classes. The actions of the Students
participating
in
the
Faculty Council have provided university-wide 49ership Service
enhanced recognition and interest in Learning Program have three specific
service learning curriculum.
learning objectives which they discuss
with their organizational supervisor
In 2011-12, 17 courses in 13 and career advisor on campus. These
departments or programs in five include:
colleges offered courses with a i) to learn about the social issues and
servicelearning
distinction. how they
are
handled by the
Approximately 2,104 students were agency/organization;
enrolled in these courses. In 2012ii) to promote community awareness
2013, 646 courses in
of social issues; and,
41 departments carried the servicelearning distinction; a dramatic iii) to learn how my skills and
increase in interest and visibility of abilities relate to this career.
Participating students engage in
service-learning courses.
reflection and evaluation at the end of
the semester.

Courses

2008
Applicat
ion
2,5
37
525

Faculty

194

233

38

41

Students

Departments

20122013
3,139
646

Percen
t
Chang
24.0
%
23.0
%
21.3
%
7.9
%

2012-2013 Service-Learning
Data Based on
Undergraduate FTE
# of Service% of Total
Courses
Learning
Courses

646

# of Depts.
Represented by
Service-Learning

4
1
# of Faculty

Teaching ServiceLearning Courses

233

# of Students
Participating in
Service-Learning

3,139

6.3%

% of Total
Depts.

85.0%
% of Total
Faculty

13.6%
% of Total
Students

10.3%

Source: UNC Charlotte Institutional Research

Professional Development
Across campus, there are a variety of
programs that offer support for
community-centered courses and
program development, research, and
outreach activities. The university
offers Scholarship of
Teaching
and Learning (SoTL) grants and
Chancellors Diversity Challenge Fund
grants for faculty that can be used to
design and implement community
engagement programs and courses,
the depth and breadth of professional
development options for faculty, staff,
and administrators has become more
intentionally focused on community
engagement.
Service-Learning Showcase
In Fall 2011, an interdisciplinary
group of UNC Charlotte faculty
organized the first annual servicelearning showcase on campus. The
three-hour event began with a panel of
faculty from the Colleges of Liberal
Arts & Sciences, Health and Human
Services, Education, and Computing
and Informatics discussing their
various approaches to and experiences
with
service-learning.
Audience
members asked questions about
applying for the service-

learning course designation, solicited


advice on how to overcome servicelearning challenges, and exchanged
best practices on how to develop
strong community partnerships. An
interactive poster session followed the
panel; faculty, students, and campus
groups shared information regarding
their specific service-learning projects
on campus. Another showcase is
scheduled for Spring 2014.
Center for Teaching and Learning
The UNC Charlotte Center for
Teaching and Learning (CTL) provides
pedagogical assistance for faculty.
Faculty seeking counsel on creating a
service-learning course can utilize the
CTL. The CTL also offers an online
service-learning resource library. The
universitys increased support for and
attention to service-learning courses
and course designation (see section
II.A.1.a) paved the way for a faculty
member specializing in servicelearning to serve as a CTL fellow,
beginning in 2013. In this position, the
faculty fellow has been giving
workshops and consulting on how to
incorporate service-learning into
individual courses.

Campus Compact
The Campus Compact group on
campus is comprised of faculty and
staff from a wide variety of
departments and offices. The group
meets once a month to develop
strategies that deepen community
engaged practices among faculty,
students, and staff.
Each year, a team from UNC Charlotte
attend the Civic Engagement Institute
and PACE (Pathways to Achieving
Civic
Engagement)
conferences
sponsored by North Carolina Campus
Compact. Travel funding is fully
supported. The goals of both
conferences
include
involving
university and community members in
discussions of the best practices and
theories related to community
engagement, soliciting institutional
support,
identifying
challenges,
negotiating barriers, and highlighting
research and practice on related topics.

Student-Focused Community Engagement

SPOTLIGHT: UNC Charlottes Food Security Initiatives


Stop Hunger Now
Stop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief agency designed to end
hunger around the globe. In April 2012, UNC Charlotte students, faculty and
staff joined the cause and campaigned to raise more than $3,000. The funding
was used to purchase and package high-protein meals with rice, soy, dehydrated
vegetables, and a flavoring mix with 23 essential vitamins and nutrients.
Through continued efforts, UNC Charlotte has provided more than 13,000
meals for crisis-burdened areas school feeding programs in Haiti, Kenya, El
Salvador, Liberia and Nicaragua.

Food Recycling Program


The Food Recycling Program was established in 1991 by University Honors
Program students. Student volunteers collect food that has been cooked, but not
yet served from campus cafeterias. Students then deliver the food to Charlottes
Urban Ministries Center and The Center for Hope Womens Shelter. In 2013-14
volunteers collected and delivered more than 2,100 pounds of food. Every year,
the program continues to gain awareness and support. UNC Charlotte also
plans to partner with Johnson and Wales to expand outreach efforts

UNC Charlotte Community Garden


In 2014, Levine Scholars Jake Emerson, Kevin Rodengen, and Chloe Rodengen
created a community garden as a platform for sustainability, education and
experimentation. They envisioned students learning about healthy eating, how
to grow food, and most importantly, how to organize sustainability programs for
campus. Produce from the garden will go to campus dining services, The Niner
Student Pantry, as well as community non-profits such as Friendship Trays. In
2015, the Community Garden will construct a solar-powered drip irrigation
system and handicap-accessible walkways.
Niner Student Pantry
Established in 2014, The Niner Student Pantry was created to provide food to
students experiencing economic hardship. The Food Lion Feeds program
sponsored the pantry, providing shelving and nonperishable items. Students,
faculty, and staff from across campus have demonstrated support for the pantry
in a number important ways including donating volunteer hours,
canned food drives
service-learning
document editing, needs assessment research

Student-Focused Community
Engagement

% of 2014 graduating seniors who


engaged
in
service-learning
during
Getting involved in community
is an their UNC Charlotte career:

56%

community engagement by
evaluating the
rate,
frequency, and

essential tenet of being a UNC


Charlotte
student.
Community
engagement comes in many forms Source: NSSE
including tutoring children at nearby
schools, building homes in lowincome areas, socializing animals at a
local animal shelter, contributing to # of community engagement
operations of volunteer departments,
hours contributed by UNC Charlotte students in 2012-2013
and helping with civic improvement.
Through various departments, offices,
and organizations, UNC Charlotte
students
serve
in
community
engagement leadership roles.
Source: Dean of Students Office

69,592

Through its student survey, the


National
Survey
of
Student
Engagement (NSSE) annually collects
information about student participation
in programs and activities geared
towards their learning and personal
development. Although this survey
broadly assesses students overall
collegiate experience, questions are
asked
to
measure
community
engagement. In 2012 and 2014, UNC
Charlotte administered this web-based
survey to all second semester firstyear students and seniors likely to
graduate in May or August.
Information provided by the 2012 and
2014 versions of the NSSE survey
indicate positive growth. In 2007,
only 31% of students indicated they
had performed some sort of
community service or volunteer work
during their first year at UNC
Charlotte. In 2012 that number jumped
to 37%, and by 2014 50% of first year
students
responded
that
they
participated in service-learning during
their time at UNC Charlotte. For our
graduating seniors, in 2007, 51% had
performed c o m m u n i t y

$ value of student volunteer hours


for 2012-2013

$ 1,464,216
Source: www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time

service or volunteer work. In both


2012 and 2014, that number increased
to 56%. In general, community
engagement remains an integral part of
the UNC Charlotte culture, however
there is room for improvement. get N
and response rates (put in --peer
institutions
The National Assessment
of Service and Community
Engagement
(NASCE)
is a web-based survey
conducted by the Siena
College Research Institute
that
quantitatively
measures a college or
universitys overall level of
6

depth of student community service


activities across nine areas of human
need. According to this report,
Explain--more findings, n, response
rate...(or discount entirely??)--small
response rate but below are the
findings...
--multiple entry points to community
engagement
including
course
curricula and learning communities,
student- driven organizations and
initatives.-- highlighted here...

Division of Academic Affairs

retention rate increase in Fall 2013


(cohort 2012-2013) to 80.4% and
cohort 2013-2014--82.4% (highest
rate in years and big increase)--Student retention and success can be
attributed to UNC Charlottes ability
to immerse students in programs and
initiatives that make them feel
connected to the university. There are
100
several initiatives designed to involve
90
80
students in community-engaged
70
60
learning while striving to improve
50
student retention and success. 40
First Year Students
Graduating Seniors

30

Source: NSSE data 2014

NSSE data --service-learning 201420


10
0

2007

2012

2014

Graduate Research

Independent Study

Internship

Student Group

Field Placement (Certification)


3
Undergraduate Research
2

Volunteer

Other

0
Student Community Engagement

Among 16 Learning
Communities,

81%

incorporated community service


and

31%

incorporated service-learning as a
core element of the course.
Prospect for Success--Quality
Enhancement Plan
As a part of the universitys Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS) re-accreditation received in
2013, the UNC Charlotte Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP), Prospect
for Success, outlines the Universitys
strategies for preparing students to
become curious, self and culturally
aware students committed to their own
academic
success.
Intentionality,
curiosity, and awareness are the
foundational elements for engaged
student learning. As noted in UNC
Charlottes Prospect for Success
handbook, students who described
themselves as being engaged were
more likely to express satisfaction,
attain greater success, and persist in
their education than peer who are
not engaged (see Krause 2007; Astin,

1984, 1985, 1993, 1999; Bruffee,


1993;
McKeachie, Pintrich, Lin, & Smith,
1986; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991,
2005; Pike, 1993; Kuh 2008). Active
and collaborative student engagement
with the curriculum can result in a
more substantial learning experience
(see Marton et al 1997).
While community engagement is not a
required element of QEP courses, it is
recognized as a high impact practice

that aids in new student success and


retention. As such, faculty development
emphasized opportunities to connect
students to real world experiences
through career center internships,
common reading involvement, and team
exercises that engage students in the
broader community. An intentional
longer-term outgrowth of these
outcomes is to have all of our students
become more civically engaged through
other academic and social outlets. By
Fall 2015, all incoming freshmen will
be involved in a Prospect course, and
some of the professional schools will be
looking at integrating civic engagement
activities during the first semester,
while others are setting the groundwork
for later sophomore or junior curricular
engagement
for
their
majors.
Preliminary common reflection essay
results of the first semester in the QEP
show significant impact of the courses
in the three major outcomes.

Source:

Learning Communities
Established in 2001, UNC Charlotte
now has 17 residential and nonresidential Learning Community
(LCs) options for new students. For
the 2012-2013 academic year, there

were a total of 16 learning


communities; 15 for first-year
students and one for transfer
students. When surveyed, 81% of
the 16 LCs incorporate community
engagement
as
an
identified
characteristic of highly effective
learning communities. Not only have

Learning Communities proven highly


successful in engaging students in the
community around them, but also in
giving students a sense of belonging to
this university. This sense of belonging
has helped students understand the
many resources at our university and
helped with retention efforts.

Common Reading
The Common Reading Experience is
designed to provide a shared academic
experience to assist all first-year
students in their transition to UNC
Charlotte. This program offers unique

service
assisting
refugees
and
immigrants in the Charlotte region.
Participating

faculty were encouraged to examine


current
information
on
the
experiences of refugees and other
immigrants to the Carolinas from
community partners working to assist
in their transition.
In Fall 2013, UNC
Charlotte selected
Wine to Water by
Doc Hendley for the
Common Reading
Experience. In a true
collaborative spirit
between Academic
Affairs and Student
Affairs,
students
reading this text as
part of a course
participated in a
water
crisis
simulation
that
added to their
understanding of global water crises
while engaging them in fund raising
activities for the Wine to Water
Foundation.
Get additional infor from Sean Langley-refugee

opportunities
for
self-reflection,
critical thinking, student interaction,
and
understanding
of
diverse
perspectives. Adoption of the common
reading is especially encouraged in
first year seminars, first year writing,
and general education courses, though
any faculty interested in using the text
in their teaching is welcome.

Civic Minor in Urban Youth and


Communities
The civic minor in Urban Youth and
Communities prepares students to be
agents of change in the community
through civic engagement and learning
through service.

In Fall 2012, the common reading was


Warren St. Johns Outcasts United, the
story of a refugee soccer team, a
remarkable woman coach, and a small
southern town turned upside down by
the process of refugee resettlement.
That semester, students got the
opportunity to meet the author and cocurricular programs were planned to
support student engagement in the
themes of Outcasts United, including
the development of an end of semester
forum showcasing student work
related to the book and a day of

The minor is open to all majors who


seek to explore the strengths,
capabilities and issues of youth and
communities in urban settings.
The minors design and implementation
is the result of a competitive grant from
the American Association of State
7

Colleges and Universities (AASCU).


The interdisciplinary coursework

equips students to understand the


complex context of urban schools
and neighborhoods, the strengths
and capabilities of urban children and
the implications of public policy for
primary and secondary public
schools.
According to Susan Harden, assistant
professor of middle, secondary and
K-12 education and coordinator for
the minor, the program offers preservice teachers and their peers
opportunities to have experiences
with service- learning in urban
settings and to develop a rich
understanding of the public policy
context of urban schools and other
community factors that affect school
performance,
community
connections to schools and learning
outcomes for students...
Jazzmin Sims graduated with the
minor in spring 2013. Sims chose it
because
she
recognized
that

community
service
formed
a
significant part of her learning process
at UNC Charlotte. The minor, she
said, provided the perfect opportunity
for me to go into the community and
figure out what they need to thrive and
live a satisfying life. The most
fulfilling aspect of her experience was
recognizing the power to help an
individual or a neighborhood obtain
sustainability, Sims said. She is
currently pursuing a career as a high
school guidance counselor.
The Urban Youth and Communities
minor draws on diverse departments
for its
coursework,
including
Africana studies, geography, history,
criminal justice, Latin American
studies, middle school and secondary
education, anthropology, sociology,
psychology communication studies,
religious studies, childhood and family
development, liberal studies and
education.

The Levine Scholars Program


The Levine Scholars Program is UNC
Charlottes most prestigious merit
scholarship
program.
It
was
established in 2009 by benefactors
Sandra and Leon Levine. Emulating
the role that the Levines have
bestowed
upon
the
Charlotte
community, key tenets to awarded
recipients are scholarship, ethical,
civic engagement and leadership.
These key tenets serve as the
foundation and the compass for Levine
Scholars as they navigate their way
through their collegiate experience.
All scholars receive access to a service
grant to implement a community
service project of their own design.
Examples of Levine Scholar service
projects include (kelley shealy)...

SPOTLIGHT: Dance Marathon


The first graduating class of Levine
Scholars wanted to develop a
signature
service
project
to
commemorate their legacy. Through
a careful selection process, the
Levine Scholars chose to support
Dance Marathon, a nationwide
movement involving more than 150
schools nationwide raising funds for
the Childrens Miracle Network
Hospital in their community. The
UNC Charlotte Dance Marathon
connected more than 1,000 UNC
Charlotte students in the mission
support For the Kids at Levine
Childrens Hospital.
The student leaders involved in
dance marathon devoted countless
hours to engaging in weekly
committee and leadership team
meetings, participating in fundraising
events on and off campus, and
leading presentations for diverse
UNC
Charlotte
student
organizations like athletic teams,
academic and extracurricular clubs,
and fraternities and sororities.
Throughout this process, students
learned invaluable leadership and life
skills
while
interacting
with
Childrens Hospital

patients and families.


On November 13, 2013, nearly a year
after their first planning meeting,
UNC charlotte Dance Marathon
finally arrived. From designing the
floor plans, preparing meals and
snacks,
to
orchestrating
entertainment acts, and organizing
event logistics, these dedicated
students came to create an
unforgettable night of philanthropy
and fun for the UNC Charlotte
student body and greater Charlotte
community. Standing on-stage with
families whose children were treated
at Levine Childrens Hospital, feeling
the energy and enthusiasm of the
student dancers, and discovering that
Dance Marathon had raised more
than
$35,000.00 for the Childrens Miracle
Network Hospital was inspiring for
all who participated.
With the new Dance Marathon
leadership team already in place for
Dance Marathon 2014, Dance
Marathon will soon be welcomed as
a new NINER tradition.

Division of Student Affairs


the 21,952 service hours completed,
student athletics contributed 2,104
hours, Greek organizations contributed
9,718, and student organizations
contributed 10,130 hours (see Figure
).
In 2012-2013, UNC Charlotte students
contributed over 69,500 hours of
volunteer service to the Charlotte
region. 2013-2014??--these hours are
calculated... Fraternities and sororities,
athletic teams, and many student
organizations perform community
service.
Office of Volunteer Outreach
The Office of Volunteer Outreach has
established and cultivated partnerships
with over 250 local agencies in the
Charlotte community. Some of these
partnerships have laid the foundation
for other groups on campus to build
upon. For example, since 2010, this
Office has partnered with CharlotteMecklenburg Schools to increase
academic achievement in the systems
low income Title I student populations
using volunteers. These efforts were
the precursor for the Governors
Village schools initiative (see page....).

Community Service Hours at UNC


Charlotte 2011-2012
10%
44%

Student
Organizations

46%

Fraternities
and
Sororities
Athletics

Source:

The Office of Volunteer Outreach has


established a competitive internship
for students to lead service projects in
the Charlotte community related to
Hunger and Homelessness, Youth and
Education,
Senior
Health
and
Hospitals,
Animals,
and
the
Environment. Interns are responsible
for establishing and maintaining
relationships with local non-profits,
attending bi- weekly leadership board
meetings, coordinating one service
program per month and tracking and
recording all hours. Positions become
available every Spring semester,
interviews are held, and appointments
are made by the Assistant Director for
Off- Campus and Volunteer Outreach.
Through this office, student interns
completed over 7,080 hours of
engagement in 20..

Greek Organizations
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority
Life articulates four pillars serving
as the foundation for fraternities and
sororities: scholarship, leadership,
philanthropy & community service
and

brotherhood/sisterhood. The pillars


give students the strength and support
from their early years of college to
graduation. Every year, chapters spend
countless hours raising thousands of
dollars toward worthy causes. Projects
are conducted on an individual chapter
level to benefit organizations such as
the
Make-a-Wish
Foundation,
American Red Cross, and the Ronald
McDonald House. Inthe 2012-2013
academic year, fraternities and
sororities contributed over 9,718 hours
of service and raised over $32,200 for
local
non-profits
and
national
philanthropies. All Greek chapters are
required by the University to
participate in at least one universitywide service project per semester.
Athletics
Every student athlete is required to
complete at least two community

service hours. Since 2009, the


Athletics Department offers two

department- wide community


service events each

honor of those lost


in the 2001 terrorist
attacks.

year. For the past several years, the


Department of Athletics has held an
annual Stroll for Epilepsy Walk on
campus to raise funds for the Epilepsy
Foundation. The mission of the
Epilepsy Foundation is to stop
seizures and find a cure and overcome
the challenges created by epilepsy. The
Athletic Department, alongside the
Red Cross, sponsors a blood drive
each year in

Aside from the


community service
events organized as
a department, there
are several teamspecific community
service events that
have been incorporated over the past
five years. The baseball and softball
teams participate as buddies in the
YMCA Miracle League each fall; the
volleyball team organizes a number of
fundraising events to support breast
cancer research; UNC Charlottes
mens and womens tennis teams
volunteer with the YMCA during their

Thanksgiving Dinner; and our mens


and womens soccer teams volunteer
with the FC Carolina Alliance, which
provides youth soccer training and
development to players of all ages,
genders and abilities. Most recently,
our football team has helped raise
funds and volunteered for UNC
Charlottes Relay for Life event.
explain

campuses to visit and work with


Habitat affiliates across the country.

Thegroupdividedtheireffortsbetween tornado-ravaged Birmingham and the economically challenged t

SPOTLIGHT: ENACTUS
Social Entrepreneurship is the
process of pursuing innovative
solutions to social problems. More
specifically, social entrepreneurs
adopt a mission to create and sustain
social value.
Enactus is a community of student,
academic, and business leaders
committed to using the power of
entrepreneurial action to enable
human progress, with more than 500
student chapters. Enactus student
teams develop projects to support
people in need and improve the
quality of life of individuals in the
community
by
focusing
on
environmental, social, and economic
factors that can create long-term,
sustainable solutions to real-world
problems.
At
the
regional
competitions, student teams make
presentations about their projects to
a panel of business leaders who serve
as judges. The national competition
showcases each regional champions
projects from the year.
In 2013, UNC Charlottes of Enactus
chapter achieved
its
first
top
national
20
ranking at the o r
ga n i z a t io ns a
n n u a l
competition.
The
UNC
Charlotte
team
was
a
fourth
runner-up in the
semi-final round
of
competition,
winning $1,500 in

pr
iz
e
m
o
ne
y.
T
h
e
y

qualified for the national competition by winning a regional competition,


marking their tenth year as regional champions.

Mooresville Weekly, and Your UCity


magazine for their efforts.

The UNC Charlotte Enactus teams presentation focused on three of their


community service projects. The main project, The Ecuador Project, has
worked with a non-profit based in Mooresville, N.C. to build a new facility
for an orphanage in Olon, Ecuador which currently houses
31 children. The Enactus team has raised over $3,000 through a variety of
fundraising efforts and has received coverage in the Mooresville Tribune,

The team of 61 students dedicated


over 4,100 hours on nine projects,
and our top 20 finish at nationals
surpasses our two previous highs of
top 60 in 2006 and 2012.

National Recognition for Community


Engagement
Since the institutions founding after
World War II, UNC Charlotte and the
city of Charlotte have had a strong,
mutually
beneficial
partnership.
Educators and city leaders recognize
that a productive exchange of
information and ideas in a dynamic
environment can contribute to the
economic, social, and cultural growth
of the region.

In recent years, UNC Charlottes


commitmenttocommunityengagement
has been nationally recognized when,
in 2008, the Carnegie Foundation
granted its Community Engagement
Classification to the
university,

acknowledging
the
mutually
beneficial exchange of knowledge and
resources
with
surrounding
communities in a context of
partnership and reciprocity.

Also in 2008, UNC Charlotte was


named to the Presidents Higher
Education Community Service Honor
Roll for exemplary commitment to
working with local communities to
improve the quality of life for some of
the areas most vulnerable populations.
This distinction, one of the highest

federal recognitions an institution


can receive for service-learning and
civic engagement, highlights the role
colleges and universities play in
solving community problems and
placing students on a lifelong path of
civic engagement. Honorees are
chosen by National and Community
Service, the
U.S. Departments of Education and
Housing and Urban Development,
Campus Compact and the American
Council on Education based on a
series of factors, including the scope
and innovation of service projects,
the extent to which service-learning
is embedded in the curriculum, the
schools commitment to long-term
campus-community partnerships, and
measurable community outcomes as
a result of the service. The University
received this honor every year since
2008 and in 201 , UNC Charlotte
recieved the gold standard.

Potrebbero piacerti anche