Celebrating Service

Office of Service-Learning Awards Top Honors During Annual Recognition Breakfast

The Office of Service-Learning (OSL) at Western Michigan University (WMU) recently held the third annual Campus and Community Breakfast and Award Celebration. With nominations submitted, faculty, community partners, and students gathered, OSL hosted an event that produced greater outcomes than ever expected. With over 80 individuals in attendance, nearly three times more than in years past, in combination with a 10 percent increase in award nominations, OSL held an event that mobilized and reunited a communal support and awareness for service-learning. This event was an amazing way for our WMU students, faculty and staff, and community partners to come together and celebrate all of the accomplishments of service-learning throughout the past year, said Ashley Braatz, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator. I have never seen a more vibrant representation of students at an event, especially as the students rallied together and sung the Bronco Fight Song. Since its inception in 2011, OSL has engaged regional communities, the University, and its student body in a mutually beneficial, innovative learning and service enterprise. OSL has assisted over 5,000 students in understanding and reflecting on the importance of service-learning while simultaneously using strategic objectives and community partnerships to create a course

!"#$%&'()*+'%,-./+**0%12'3*4%5*6-4*%'3*%7*4*.-+8%7-..*+7*09% that prepares students for a professional career post graduation. This breakfast and awards event was originated in 2011 by Shawn Tenney, OSL Director, as a way to showcase the accomplishments of those whom have put in countless hours in service-learning. With over 130 community partnerships and hundreds of students, faculty, and staff involved, OSL uses this event to honor and thank those that have engaged in service-learning within the preceding year, and this year was no exception. However, there was one unforeseen stipulation and setback for 2013. In past years, OSL held the breakfast and award ceremony separately to create recognition events with a distinctive purpose. However, due to financial boundaries, instead of eliminating parts of the event, OSL found combining the two parts into one larger event was much more beneficial for all attending. By combining the breakfast and awards ceremony, we were able to create a unique environment for our students where networking and meeting with other servicelearning professionals, students, and faculty and staff became an exciting aspect to the event, said Tenney. We were hesitant on this

merge, but after great reviews and feedback, we believe this has made our event very unique and purposeful for our students. After much preparation, decision making, debate, and setback, the 2013 Breakfast was up and running with a new and unique angle ready to showcase and honor service-learning and its advocates. As of 8:00 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2013; faculty, staff, students, and community partners ranging from the Veterans Association to the Boys and Girls Club gathered at the WMU Bernhard Center. Dr. Diane Anderson, Vice President of Student Affairs, Randy Ott, Director of the Center for Academic Success Programs, and Bob Miller, Vice President of Community Outreach all presented at the breakfast and acknowledged the importance of servicelearning on Westerns campus. Presented with the Excellence in ServiceLearning Award were Dr. Michael Nassaney, the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center, and Rasheeda Jenkins. They have each shown dedication to service-learning and have engaged and encouraged others to create positive interactions in the community. Dr. Nassaney works with anthropology students to excavate, interpret, and preserve the material remains of Fort St. Joseph, a trading post occupied from 1691 to 1781 by French and later British traders. Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center is a horseback riding center built especially for the purpose of serving those with special

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needs. They focus on what individuals can accomplish, not on what they cannot. Cheff works with students from several disciplines, providing great opportunities for Western students. The third honoree of the year was Rasheeda Jenkins, a senior at Western, whom has been involved with service-learning since her freshman year. Sheeda is currently a service-learning student scholar, managing projects for two disciplines. Sheeda contributes her leadership and project management skills while serving as a community partner at Lakeside Academy, whose philosophy is in direct line with her own. Service-learning, to me, has been about embarking on a journey to give back to my community what it has given me, said Sheeda. I have been empowered to become a vehicle of change through challenge and thinking outside of the box, and this has assisted me immensely in both my personal lie and professional career. Peers, professors, managers, and so forth nominate those involved in service-learning throughout the year that strives to make a difference in the community. To be nominated, candidates must demonstrate dedication to outstanding service-learning. The following criteria is used as a guide: Engagement in service-learning, defined as a mutually beneficial endeavor in which course learning objectives are met by addressing community-identified needs. Students must provide at least 15-20 hours of service during the semester Engaged in service-learning that includes reflection of the work, interactions, and learning regarding the service. Effective collaboration among community partners, students, faculty, and staff involved in the project or service. Projecting a positive attitude and image of service-learning and the University. Upon nomination, a five-person committee board made up of WMU faculty and community leaders review the nominations based on the criteria listed above. The winners are then notified and presented with the Award of Excellence at the breakfast.

!"#$%:;7*<<*+7*%=/++*40>%?@*6'%'-%A/13'B%C49% D/732*<%,*002+*8E%F3*66%G3*42H*('/7E%2+)% A203**)2%I*+J/+09% Post awards, the breakfast ends with networking where those in attendance have the opportunity to learn and share their personal experience involving servicelearning, which was an evident highlight of the event. During the breakfast, I was absolutely elated; these students are the reason we thrive, said Braatz. This breakfast truly brings together a community of individuals whom share a thriving, common bond of service-learning. This annual event brings to light the importance and need for service-learning in the community, while showcasing the truly exceptional. While another year has passed, Braatz believes that this is just one of the many great breakfasts to come. Without their [community, students, faculty and staff] support, we wouldn't be where we are today and where we hope to go in the future; this is why we do what we do. Visit www.wmich.edu/servicelearning for more information, or contact Shawn Tenney at shawn.l.tenney@wmich.edu or (269) 3874411.