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
At the CASL Office we value our Service-Learning students very highly. After all, without interested students and committed faculty we would not have jobs. Thankfully, at Missouri State we have increasing numbers of students interested in and taking part in service-learning, and a very supportive faculty. Something new that CASL is endeavoring to do in an effort to give more support and opportunities to our service-learning students is hosting a Service-Learning Academy. This series of four events is aimed at coordinating more closely with our students and keeping them in touch with our office to help them get even more out of their servic The kickoff event was a Service-Learning Networking Mixer sponsored in part by The New York Times. The gathering of students, CASL officials, pizza, pop, and various New York Times paraphernalia took place the Thursday before Spring Break in the PSU East Ballroom. All students present were able to grab some pizza, hear a few words about networking, and were able to then let loose and interact with each other to hone their skills and forge … [Read more...] about Serving our service-learning students
As a graduate assistant in Missouri State’s Office of Citizenship and Service Learning (CASL) I strongly believe in the merits of service learning. As a methodology, service learning has many inherent benefits. Students have access to opportunities through service learning typically not offered in traditional classes, such as hands on experience in the “real world”, active engagement in the surrounding community, the ability to test out a career path before graduating, and connecting with area professionals in related fields through networking. That last point of networking is something that I’m coming to find is more and more important the further along I go, and knowing how to network is an extremely valuable asset. Figures vary but it’s estimated that approximately 40%-70% of jobs are filled through personal contacts. These numbers add credence to the old adage, “It’s not what you know but who you know.” Before dismissing this as mere cronyism or nepotism among industry insiders, it’s important to know that the majority of good hiring is done through referrals to managers … [Read more...] about Making your own luck: an introduction to networking through service-learning