April 28, 2011
Civic leadership an integral component to 91探花undergraduate education
In 2009-10, 91探花students devoted an astounding 619,222 hours to public service. Students volunteered in senior citizen centers, cleaned up parks, increased access to early literacy programs and more.
Annual Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership features students engaged in the community
On May 9, 2011, 91探花 undergraduates will showcase their civic engagement projects that enrich their undergraduate education and benefit the local nonprofit organizations, schools, and campus programs with which they volunteer. The 20th Annual happens from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the Walker Ames room of Kane Hall. Students will present their projects at 3:30 and a brief program featuring Washington鈥檚 and student leaders will start at 4:30 p.m.
鈥淪tudents鈥� engagement in campus and community life is at the heart of the Spring Celebration,鈥� says Michaelann Jundt, the director of the . 鈥淪tudent participation in community programs and service-learning continues to increase and we are excited to bring students together to share what they are contributing and what they are learning.鈥�
For many 91探花undergraduates, being involved in the community is integral to their college experience. In the 2009-10 school year alone, nearly 5,000 91探花students participated in university-sponsored public service, including service learning, public service internships and volunteer work. Students devoted an astounding 619,222 hours to public service in 2009-10. Student involvement in service and leadership has led to national recognition for the UW. In 2009, the University was named to the , the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.
Spring Celebration attendees will see first-hand the diversity of community issues in which undergraduates are involved鈥攆rom early literacy to mentorship, agriculture to women鈥檚 health awareness, youth identity and leadership to global climate change, and much more.
鈥淪ervice learning gives students opportunities to make a connection between their academic work and the real world,鈥� explained William Talbott, philosophy professor, in an email. 鈥淔or students of human rights, this is especially important. Service learning can be the beginning of a lifelong engagement with real world human rights issues.鈥�
Megan Rae, a senior in American Indian studies spent a week of her summer and spring breaks in Neah Bay helping students there use digital storytelling to explore their community. For Rae, 鈥淏eing a part of this project has been a gift. The Neah Bay community is amazing and strong and has inspired me in my goals to become a lawyer and advocate for tribal communities. I鈥檓 even more excited now to start law school and start making a difference.鈥�
The following projects illustrate the breadth of undergraduate leadership activities. Students involved in them will present their work in the Gallery of Student Projects. More than 50 projects will be presented in the gallery.
- UW鈥檚 First Annual Women鈥檚 Health Week
- We Tell Stories: Social Justice and NGO Activism in Bangalore, India
- Youth and Suicide: A Necessary Dialogue
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Jr. Program
- Manic Mouth Congress: Cultivating a Community of Writers and Readers
Event Details
WHAT: Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership
WHO: 91探花undergraduates committed to serving the community
WHEN: May 9, 2011, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Walker Ames room, Kane Hall, 91探花Seattle
The Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership is co-hosted by the , , the , and the , all programs housed within Undergraduate Academic Affairs鈥� .