Promoting service-learning and community involveme

Promoting Service-Learning and Community Involvement to Students

As a faculty member, instructor, advisor, career counselor or student services staff person you have an opportunity to influence the educational plans and out-of-classroom lives of the college students you interact with at the University. With this in mind, we have developed this section to give you some information to use when encouraging participation in service-learning and community involvement.

Talk about benefits students have experienced:

Provides valuable experience in an academic or future career field
Leads to internships, part-time jobs and full-time jobs
Increases understanding of the topics covered in the classroom
Fulfill requirements for service hours in a course or major
Fulfill requirements to be admitted into some academic programs
Provides for exploration of values, attitudes, and beliefs about the world
Allows student to utilize their untapped or under-utilized skills
Enhances leadership skill development
Allows for integration of personal and professional goals
Demonstrates to potential employers and academic institutions a diversity of interests
Provides students with a better understanding of current community issues
Diminishes feelings of isolation due to connections made with the broader community
Increases self-confidence and improves self-concept
Demonstrates an ability to handle ambiguity and the flexibility to take on new roles
Sharpens creative problem-solving abilities and collaboration skills
Provides an opportunity to develop a network of contacts and support people across diverse communities
Gives students an outlet to act on their beliefs about social change/social justice
Provides students with a greater understanding of economic, political, and cultural structures in society and how these structure effect and impact individual lives, families, and communities

Watch a short video highlighting students experiences with service-learning and community involvement and the support CCLC can provide you.
-To watch this video you must have a QuickTime Plug-In, to download this go to http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

Learn more about student experiences with service-learning at the U of M

Talk about the University's land grant heritage
Today's students entering college often have a history of service due in part to the ever increasing number of high schools adopting community service requirements. While the University of Minnesota does not have a service or service-learning requirement, it does have a rich history of connections to our local, state, national and international communities. As a land grant institution, the University of Minnesota has a myriad of projects connecting the University to the community, Community Involvement and Service-Learning provides students with one way to connect.