Adam Ghan wants to be a venue manager one day. After chatting with the junior Entertainment Management student about his experience in service-learning with The Gillioz Theatre, there’s every reason to believe he will. Level-headed, driven, and refreshingly chill about the whole future thing, Adam seems to understand that it won’t just fall into place magically. He’s strategically taking on meaningful opportunities and building relationships that will set him up for success. Service-learning has been a significant step on his path, and he’s excited to talk about how it can even lead to helping run a classic theatre during a Rocky Horror Picture Show viewing. "That’s the most beneficial part of service-learning for me – it’s just to see management, see why they make the decisions they make and see how deep it really goes" Adam makes a really good first impression. He's got a rhythmic brand of confidence that seems to be uniquely prone to people who play the drums – which he does. He ducks into the office dressed in dark, casually styled clothes with jaw-length hair and a few … [Read more...] about Community, entertainment and Rocky Horror: Adam Ghan reflects on service-learning at the Gillioz Theatre
By Charlie Whitaker and Taylor Ware It's not the first time Lori Rogers has explored ways to innovate in her courses. Doesn't take long in a conversation with her to know that she cares deeply about her students and wants them to succeed, so she generally likes to try new things. That said, she has a refreshingly realistic view of the strengths and challenges of teaching English courses to modern students. One of the more recurring challenges is passive engagement. In many writing courses, one can almost see yet another lesson whoosh over a student's head like a gust of wind as they ponder how it all applies to them in real life. Through service-learning, Rogers appears to have found an answer for actively engaging her students more consistently: “agentic service-learning.” "It’s added another level of cognition that encourages students to really take agency in their scholarship.” Rogers smiles and is quick to explain what that means. “The biggest difference I see in terms of student learning is that much of their past service-learning work has been reflective, and that’s … [Read more...] about Lori Rogers explains her smart method for getting students to “really take agency in their scholarship.”
By Taylor Ware Service-learning relies on community partnerships. James River Basin Partnership (JRBP) is one of many valued not-for-profits that we collaborate with. Their Executive Director, Brent Stock, believes that service-learning fosters crucial learning experiences that students will carry throughout their lives. Brent Stock is a Missouri State graduate from the wildlife conservation and management program. He has an extensive background in not-for-profits and a passion for the outdoors. At James River Basin Partnership, Brent oversees a small staff and facilitates ongoing projects. Much of his work revolves around grant management and fundraising. These financing efforts support a variety of projects. This includes their work to remedy nonpoint source pollution and their efforts to provide environmental education to the community. They also host many events including river, lake and stream clean ups. Brent and his staff work hard to manage these responsibilities. The integration of service-learning students helps to lighten their load. “Service-learning students allow … [Read more...] about Brent Stock and the James River Basin Partnership help students find their way in local conservation
by Taylor Ware “The more I got involved with the service-learning office, the more engaged I became in my education and my community,” said Missouri State Physician's Assistant student, Regan Wilson. Regan is currently a full-time master’s student, busy with plenty of studying and attending clinicals. However, not long ago, he was a cornerstone of the Citizenship and Service-Learning program. From service-learning student to Bonner Leader to graduate assistant, Regan has followed an admirable path. In 2017, Regan learned about service-learning from a presentation given in Human Genetics. He instinctively jumped on the opportunity to participate in the program. That semester he worked in tandem with his close friend, Nick Lantz, to facilitate two after-school programs at Robberson Community School: FENLE and Club Med. Read Nick’s story. FENLE is aimed at younger children while Club Med is for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. At FENLE, Regan and Nick taught the students about healthy choices and played related games. At Club Med, they taught about career options in … [Read more...] about Missouri State grad student reflects back on professional development in service-learning
The Citizenship and Service-Learning office has a long-standing relationship with vision health. In 2013, the office began administering free vision screenings in the community. An estimated 80,000 screenings have taken place over the past 9 years. This program enables service-learning students to get hands-on experience and use high-tech equipment. The program is partnered with the Vision Rehabilitation Center of the Ozarks, where community members who have been flagged for vision issues can receive care. Screenings take place at many locations and events including local daycare facilities and school districts as well as the Salvation Army, Springfield Dream Center, OTC campus, and the annual HOPE Connection event. This semester, the vision screening team can add one more location to its list, the Missouri State campus. As a result of partnering with AmeriCorps this past summer, we are now offering free vision screenings in University Hall and in the Plaster Student Union. A dedicated team of student employees will be stationed at these locations to provide vision … [Read more...] about Service-Learning and AmeriCorps partner to offer free on-campus vision screenings