Service initiatives: A key in future UW learning

Mary Rouse’s appointment to lead service initiatives highlights a growing priority in undergraduate education at UW–Madison.

See also: Mary Rouse to lead UW–Madison service initiatives

Rouse, named Monday (March 15) as an assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs, will be in charge of strengthening and expanding programs that connect classroom and service learning.

The campus already offers students hundreds of opportunities to do volunteer work or organize and participate in community service projects. Rouse will be working to organize and expand these projects – and to make community service a more visible and integral part of university life.

“By integrating in- and out-of-classroom activities, we’re empowering students to fully participate in campus and community life,” Rouse said.

Rouse also will be working with faculty and staff who are interested in adding a community service component to their courses. She says that many faculty have expressed an interest in adding a service component to their courses.

Rouse’s appointment comes at a time when the university is taking a hard look at its future as part of a reaccreditation study. A recently published self-study refers to the importance of service as part of student life and learning.

“We need to be much more institutional about providing these opportunities,” said Chancellor David Ward, who named Rouse to the new assistant vice chancellor’s post. “This is not the start of something new, but Mary’s new position is meant to bring more visibility to our current efforts and to embark on both a broader and more fundamental effort to integrate learning in and outside the classroom.”

The university already is a leader in this fast-developing area of higher education. As one example, Rouse noted that on April 7-9 the campus will host a national conference that is expected to attract faculty, student services staff and students who want to learn more about the concept of service learning.

Service learning – the inclusion of requiring community service for course credit or as out-of-classroom experiences – is emerging as a national trend as large research institutions look for ways to better prepare graduates for work and community life.

Helping students connect learning inside the lecture hall with experiences in the broader community is one key way to increase the value of higher education, said Roger Howard, associate dean of students.

Currently, about 80 UW–Madison courses each semester require enrollees to complete some outside service activities, Howard says. Many programs and student groups offer not-for-credit opportunities as well. For example:

• The Morgridge Center for Public Service, part of the Wisconsin Union, matches interested students with volunteer activities and helps faculty members incorporate service learning into their classes. Rouse will oversee its operation.
• Among other student groups, Circle K, an international service organization of college students affiliated with Kiwanis, do volunteer work and sponsor events to promote disability awareness and other community issues.
• The Alternative Breaks program at UW–Madison is one of the most active in the nation, sending volunteers around America during winter, spring and summer breaks to work with groups such as Habitat for Humanity.
• Professor Mona Wasow has taught a course on the homeless in which her students volunteer five hours a week to work with homeless people. This Thursday (March 18), she will share her techniques and experiences with colleagues in a noon roundtable at Memorial Union.

A spirit of community service already motivates a substantial segment of university students, Rouse added. Among the oft-cited examples: UW–Madison consistently ranks among a few universities that each year send the largest number of students to the Peace Corps. And it also sends the largest number of any university to the Teach America and Americorps service programs.