UW-Whitewater joins national service learning partnership
Released: October 22, 2002
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has joined 26 other state colleges and universities in forming the Wisconsin Campus Compact, part of a national initiative to promote service learning and civic engagement.
The Wisconsin campuses, a mix of public and private institutions, will be connected to a network of more than 750 universities nationwide that participate in Campus Compact. The organization’s goal is to help students develop citizenship skills, encourage campus-community partnerships, and assist faculty who seek to integrate service learning into the classroom experience.
Ron Buchholz, director of leadership and development at UW-Whitewater, attended a charter ceremony today at Edgewood College in Madison announcing the Wisconsin collaboration.
“Our students are very motivated when it comes to seeking out volunteer efforts and service learning,” Buchholz said. “Our involvement in this compact will allow us to share our successes and hopefully expand the opportunities we offer at UW-Whitewater.”
Service learning is a growing strength of the university. Last spring, the National Survey of Student Engagement gave UW-Whitewater high marks in key measures of student involvement. It reported that 75 percent of students here were involved in some kind of community service or volunteer effort, compared to a national average of 58 percent. Over the 2001-02 academic year, student groups organized 178 separate service projects that involved 2,112 students.
Some examples of UW-Whitewater service projects include:
* An after-school program at Whitewater Washington Elementary School, which provided free after-school programming to nearly 150 children;
* The Fairhaven Lecture Series, a free lecture program at the local retirement community that showcases top faculty and major issues of the day;
* “Cornerstones for Success,” a disability awareness program for Wisconsin schools given by UW-Whitewater’s Wheelchair Basketball team.
- Brian Mattmiller,npa@uww.edu
