“These national awards bring distinction to Boise State University, and demonstrate our commitment to engaging with our local community,” said Kara Brascia, director of the university’s Service-Learning Program. “Students and faculty who value community engagement are increasingly looking for these awards when considering whether to come to Boise State.”
This marks the second time this year that the university has earned national recognition for its meaningful community service achievements within the Treasure Valley. In January, Boise State also received a 2015 Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, making it one of only 361 U.S. colleges and universities that have attained this important designation. In 2013, Boise State also was one of only 16 public institutions across the country named to the list of top Innovation & Economic Prosperity Universities.
Earning these recognitions is vital because community engagement is one of five overarching goals in Boise State’s strategic plan. All Boise State colleges have majors that integrate community engagement activities into coursework, and Boise State’s re-configured core curriculum — the Foundational Studies Program — means every undergraduate student will participate in a community engagement activity.
That said, Service-Learning has been integral in earning these prestigious awards.
Since it began in 2000, the program has connected more than 20,000 students to volunteer opportunities, which amounts to 674,593 hours of service totaling $10,677,523.72 worth of in-kind work to the community. This year alone, 2,538 students contributed 59,277 hours of service. Service Learning actively works with 120 Boise State classes in 34 departments, as well as 91 community partners.
“Through Service-Learning, students get hands-on experiences applying coursework in the community,” Brascia said. “They learn they have something to offer, they learn to apply course theories to some of the biggest issues facing our society, like homelessness, climate change and gender equality.”
On April 23, the university held its annual public reception honoring Boise State University student accomplishments in service-learning, while featuring students’ visual displays of their experiences, final projects and research. “Best of Show” posters are on display through May 1 in the Interactive Learning Center third floor lobby.
Here are just a few great examples of the work students participate in that helped Boise State earn these distinctions:
Shake It Up After School (SIUAS) is an eight-year partnership between the English Department, three local Title One schools, and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Its goal is to introduce the cultural richness of Shakespeare to disadvantaged students, while also empowering them and connecting them to college-age mentors. Each spring approximately 100 fourth, fifth and sixth grade students in three Title I elementary schools participate in a six to eight week after-school program to rehearse and perform a condensed version of one of Shakespeare’s plays. These plays are directed by undergraduates taking professor Matthew Hansen’s 300-level Shakespeare course.
During the eight year run of this program, approximately 270 kids in grades 4th-6th have participated in SIUAS. A similar program offered by the local Shakespeare theater company would cost each individual student approximately $600 per child, but grants allow this program to be offered at no cost to partner elementary schools and their students. This free program comes to students at their school site so that transportation and access is not a barrier.
Boise State also has long collaborated with several refugee resettlement agencies to assist refugees in rebuilding successful lives in Southwestern Idaho, and has launched three annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) camps for minority youth and girls, who have long been considered to be underrepresented in these fields.
Since 2006, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll has annually highlighted the important role colleges and universities play in solving community problems and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement. It’s an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). CNCS is a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the President’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve.
BY: CIENNA MADRID PUBLISHED 11:29 AM / APRIL 27, 2015