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 our project … [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
By Taylor Ware Left to right: Molly Reeves, Kaitlyn Galaydick, Miranda Dougherty, Kathryn Wagner, Alexis Scroggins Integrated Service-Learning is a crucial piece of Missouri State’s public affairs mission. Many faculty have taken it upon themselves to weave service-learning into their courses to further enrich their students’ academic experience. Professor Jennifer Lowenthal-Hershey is a prime example of an instructor using community engagement to fortify their student’s education. Professor Lowenthal-Hershey teaches Critical and Creative Thinking Using Information Technology. In this course, students are encouraged to examine individual and public policy problems via the lens of information technology. Excel, Microsoft, and a variety of research databases are among their utilized tools. The integration of service-learning into ITC 200 has been an incredible shift in creating a more dynamic and engaging course. Students in Professor Lowenthal-Hershey’s class are tasked with a semester-long, group project that constitutes the service-learning aspect of the course. Randomly … [Read more...] about Service-learning students team up to addresses childhood trauma in ITC 200 course
By Taylor Ware Last week, we followed Anneliese Kerr on her journey from service-learning to Springfield Community Gardens (SCG). Anneliese’s story is not an outlier. Other service-learners have had similar journeys. So, this week, we speak with Missouri State alum, Amanda Drewel about her experience. Amanda Drewel opted into a 1-credit service-learning course in the spring of 2018. She was placed with Robberson Community School— an elementary school that supports children in finding their purpose and developing long-term skills – while also providing resources to their family. As a Math and Science Education major, Amanda fit in well at Robberson. “I was excited to have my first self-directed project. It was empowering to see a need and be able to implement a solution" She ran a club called Math LegoLand, where students replicated the Springfield community built out of Legos. Their activities involved learning about the community, identifying civil issues, workshopping solutions, and developing their math skills. The following year, Amanda created the school’s robotics … [Read more...] about From service-learning course to career – part 2: how math and science education got Amanda Drewel a job