By Shayla Vance The 2017-2018 academic year has been successful for the office of Citizenship and Service-Learning. Over 5,000 students have registered for service-learning courses in the fall, summer and spring, which is more than twice the enrollment rate of 2012-2013’s same semesters. More students are recognizing service-learning as a valuable career experience, and they are making a significant impact on the community. In a component course, each student completes 40 hours of service with a community partner for their service-learning project. Combining courses with integrated service-learning brings the total so far to 82,580 hours of service. The impact is already starting to show. CASL students have brought an estimated total dollar value of 1,781,250 to the Springfield area and outside communities through service-learning. So while students are gaining hands-on career experience, they are also making a measurable impact on the community. The higher enrollment is not only making a difference within Springfield, but also for CASL community partners. With a greater … [Read more...] about Service-Learning Enrollment has Doubled within the Last Five Years
By Shayla Vance The office of Citizenship and Service-Learning welcomed Bear POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Work, Education and Resilience) as a new signature project this semester. Bear POWER is a new, two-year inclusive program at Missouri State University designed to provide higher education to students age 18-26 with intellectual disabilities. Bear POWER will provide these students with an integrated college experience, including course work, internship-based activities and attending classes with peers. Some of the academic areas students will be able to pursue include: Early childhood education Hospitality leadership Kinesiology Recreation, sport and park administration After completing an application process, Bear POWER students will partner with a group of Missouri State student volunteers known as Bear Blazers. These student volunteers will provide support as Bear POWER students adjust to academic and social settings at Missouri State University. Bear POWER is already receiving a warm welcome from the community. Several local organizations are … [Read more...] about Bear Up with Bear Power
By Shayla Vance The Missouri State Vision Screening Program returned to Port-de-Paix, Haiti this year for the second annual spring break trip. Originally inspired by the Provost Office’s idea to address vision problems on a global level, the program traveled overseas with students trained to use specialized vision care equipment. During the trip to Haiti, Missouri State University students performed vision screenings for schoolchildren and staff while also immersing themselves in the culture. The experiences that they had were eye-opening. Most of the Haitian students that were screened had never had the opportunity to have their eyes examined before. “There is no trained eye professional in Port-de-Paix, and there is no source for accurate prescription eyewear in Port-de-Paix,” said Lora Hobbs. Hobbs is Missouri State University’s senior instructor in Religious Studies who led the trip to Haiti. “Most families cannot afford the day-long bus ride to Port-au-Prince, the eye exam, the glasses and having to stay in Port-au-Prince for several days waiting for the glasses to … [Read more...] about Vision Screening Returns to Haiti