The Outreach Office, the Career Center, faculty members and an alumni network will work collaboratively as part of the Center to increase the number and nature of opportunities for community involvement during a student's college career.
The search for a director is already underway, and although many details are still under development, students can already take advantage of the resources made available by the gift.
According to Career Center Director Dean Rosalind Hoffa, the new center is a continuation of the work that is already being done to further career development in the public sector. "The Center will build on the fantastic base that is already here," said Hoffa.
Hoffa uses the phrase "Business as usual, but expanded business as usual" to describe how the Career Center will operate while the College works to establish the new Center. For example, there will be more funding available for students engaging in public service this coming summer. The application and award process for funds will be similar to the current Fellowship for Action program. Other programs that will expand and receive more funding include the Winternship program and the Urban Education Program.
As the Center for Community Engagement continues to be developed, an incentive program will be established through which community involvement during the academic school year will be required for students interested in a paid summer social service internship. For the summer of 2007, however, continuous service during the school year will not be a requirement for funding, but will be taken into consideration when reviewing applications.
To people who may have reservations about mandating community service, Community Outreach Assistant Director Karen Lee points out that the program will also reward students that are already involved.
Similar to the Career Center programs, the Center for Community Engagement will build on existing programs from the Outreach Office. Existing community partnerships with Amherst regional public school system, Amherst ABC tutoring program, Big Brother & Big Sister, Arco Iris, Girls Inc., Nuestras Raices, Teen Resource Development and Habitat for Humanity will be expanded, and eventually new programs will be added to that list. "Future partnerships have not yet been decided. It will be a year-long process to develop these relationships and agreements," said Community Outreach Director Scott Laidlaw.
According to Laidlaw, 555 students, or 34 percent of the student body self-reported being involved in community service during the school year. The new Center hopes to increase those numbers by increasing the number of service opportunities while diversifying their nature. For this purpose, the Center hopes to work with faculty members to develop more community-based learning courses and add them to the college curriculum.
"[The program] will help bridge the gap between learning and community involvement which are too often divided into different domains: 'curricular' and 'extracurricular,'" commented Anna Biddle '09. Biddle took Reading, Writing and Teaching, an English class with a community service component co-taught by Professor Barry O'Connell and Professor Rhonda Cobham-Sander. "[The class] was the most life-changing course I've taken. No matter what your learning experience you get so much more out of your classes if you're experiencing what you're being taught and interacting with people," Biddle added.
Currently, it is uncertain which courses will be added to the curriculum, or from which department, but students are already speculating. "I think it works well with classes of an interdisciplinary nature. Sociology, black studies, WAGS [women's and gender studies] in particular could benefit from partnerships with non-profit and other institutions," said Biddle.