“Learning how to be a contributing member of society is a big part of a students’ education,” says Dr. Carol Baldwin, Associate Registrar at the University of Idaho’s Idaho Falls location. “It’s not just about getting a degree so that you can get a better job. That’s an important part of it and a way to contribute, but there is so much more to it.”
The University of Idaho (UI) embraces the concept of service learning, by encouraging students, staff and faculty to volunteer in activities that are meaningful to them. For the fourth year in a row, the amount of service given by UI students has placed them on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The honor roll is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service learning and civic engagement.
According to the National Service Learning Clearinghouse (www.servicelearning.org), service learning’s connection to college campuses stretches back to the 19th century. The idea was re-energized about 50 years ago, sparked in part by the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s as well as by the formation of the Peace Corps.
“Service learning can take many forms,” says Baldwin.
“Alternative Service Break” gives students a chance to do something different during Spring Break. It can mean helping with disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina or other places in the U.S. or worldwide. At UI, service learning throughout the year can be working at the local foodbank, volunteering at Goodwill Industries, or painting the home of an elderly person. In 2009 more than 2,100 UI students provided over 130,000 hours of volunteer services.
Dr. Bob Smith, Associate Vice President for the University of Idaho and Associate Director of Research at the Center for Advanced Energy Studies in Idaho Falls, describes higher education this way:
“One of the most important roles that higher education plays in the lives of students is to prepare them for their civic responsibilities.”
For Spring Break 2010, UI students continued with disaster relief in areas of the U.S. that were hard hit by hurricanes and other disasters. Alternative Service Break participants are selected through a competitive process and have to pay their own expenses.
For students, the idea behind service learning is to help others in need while applying newly acquired skills from the student’s field of study. The lessons learned along the way make students better and foster stronger ties to their own communities. Service learning complements classroom and laboratory learning.
Josh Dean, coordinator for the Associated Students of University of Idaho (ASUI) Center for Volunteerism & Social Action, notes that students gain purpose in their lives through participation in the Alternative Service Break trips.
“Students that participate in an Alternative Service Break trip do more than help build homes. They are building a sense of self that will guide them in living a life that contributes to their communities. After returning, they have a new perspective on what is important in their lives. They share these thoughts with peers and engage in conversations about ways to better their own lives and those of the people around them.”
At least half a dozen students from the Idaho Falls area participated in one of the Alternative Service Break trips in March. Service learning is interwoven throughout the coursework at UI with dozens of courses designated as service learning courses. For example, in Idaho Falls, Psychology student Raquel Oliva works on an unpaid internship with the TRIO program. Her duties include visiting local high schools to help first-generation students with the process of applying for college and financial aid.
“My internship has helped me build character which will help me be successful in my field of study.”
Cheryl Wilhelmsen, affiliate faculty at the Idaho Falls campus, teaches a course on Community Emergency Planning and Preparedness for the Industrial Technology program. Students in her course installed smoke detectors in the homes of senior citizens through a cooperative activity with the Idaho Falls Police Department. Her students also marked street numbers on the Idaho Falls numbered streets in a joint project with the IFPD and the Boy Scouts.
Jerry Sehlke is a scientist at the Idaho National Lab and a PhD student in Water Resources at University of Idaho. He is committed to a broad range of service activities including Idaho Rivers United and Trout Unlimited. He shares his thoughts on service to the community:
“Being active in the community has broadened my sphere of awareness of issues that are important to people and things going on in the community. It enriches me and helps me make connections. It’s kept me close and connected with my kids by giving us a common bond. Partly because of my work with the American Water Resources Association, my daughter and I were able to spend two weeks together in Istanbul at a conference and traveling together.”
University of Idaho-Idaho Falls staff and faculty lead by example. Dr. Milos Manic, faculty member in the Computer Science department, is an avid skier and volunteers with the Kelly Canyon Ski Patrol.
“It’s a lot of fun and a great opportunity to work with different people in the community. To me, it’s a higher calling, one that enriches my views and understanding of what community means. We need more people on Ski Patrol.”
Dr. Lee Ostrom, coordinator of the Industrial Technology program, incorporates service learning into his classes. Graduate students in his Risk Assessment course performed an assessment of the risks at Idaho Falls High School, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and Taylor Crossing Charter School. In addition, they evaluated the risks involved during a radiation treatment at the cancer center. Ostrom is active with the Boy Scouts serving as Counselor for the Composite Materials Merit Badge.
“Service learning is a valuable teaching tool. It provides students exposure to real life situations that are outside their normal jobs and provides a valuable service to the community.”
Baldwin and her husband provide leadership training for the Idaho Falls Chamber Youth Leadership Program and other youth groups in the community. Dr. Maxine Dakins from the Environmental Science program, serves on many local and regional boards including the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. That organization works to protect the land, water and wildlife in Yellowstone and the surrounding areas.
Along with his day job as a professor in Hydrology and Water Resources and director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute’s Idaho Falls office, Dr. Gary Johnson has been involved with community youth soccer and hockey. This was particularly meaningful to him while his children were growing up in Idaho Falls.
Mike Hilker, UI-Idaho Falls employee, is following a family tradition of service with the 4-H club that was started by his mother. The Rigby club recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Hilker has been a 4-H leader for 27 years. His wife Ginger, and son Matthew, are also leaders in the club.
“We enjoy it and the kids do too. Each year we have new kids who join the club. We have a lot of fun at the Alpine 4-H Horse Camp and at other activities.”
Individually and as a group, the staff and faculty at UI’s Idaho Falls location donate time and money to numerous scholarship funds including the University Place 5K Fun Run/Walk and local youth oriented organizations such as the YMCA. Each Christmas, the UI-IF family participates with local agencies by adopting a family in need, providing not only toys and clothing but also extra treats to make the holiday a little more cheerful.
SE Idaho also has an active Alumni Association and Vandal Scholarship Fund. Both groups support recruiting new students to Moscow and Idaho Falls, sponsor fundraising events for Vandal Athletics, and provide assistance at UI events in the area. Last Fall, answering a call to competition, the University of Idaho alumni and friends in SE Idaho opened their wallets and pantries for the annual food-drive contest against Boise State University. Thanks in no small part to the local contributions, UI overwhelmingly won the competition. All food collected locally went into local food banks for distribution. Through a new service initiative launched by the Alumni Association, alumni, parents, and friends of the university serve their communities each April. This spring, local alumni planted trees at Skyline High School. The trees were donated by Martin Tree Farms, an alumni-owned business.
Staff and faculty at the Extension Office are active in the communities they serve during their “day jobs” but it goes further than that. Dr. Barbara Petty, Extension Educator at the Bonneville County Extension Office, is a great example.
“Community involvement gives me another focus area very different from my employment so when I return to work I am refreshed and more efficient while on the job. A dear friend of mine describes the activities outside of work as opportunities to sharpen your ax. Community involvement does that for me.”
For more information about the service learning activities at University of Idaho, go to http://www.uidaho.edu/servicelearning.aspx.
