Kettering's Student Civic Engagement Center
Claire Utrecht
Issue date: 1/30/09 Section: Opinion
Did you know... that if a "millennial" (anyone born after 1984) does not feel actively recruited to participate in community service projects, they most likely will not? And, without these experiences, "many express fear, outrage, or bewilderment about politics and government," as found by CIRCLE, the Center of Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement?
Did you also know... that one of President Obama's campaign goals was to have every college graduate complete at least 100 hours of community service regardless of his/her degree program?
Should this Presidential initiative come to fruition, does Kettering have the infrastructure to support it? Not quite yet, but the addition of Kettering University's Student Civic Engagement Center (SCEC) will help guide the way... SCEC? What is that?
The mission of the SCEC is two fold. First, to inspire collaboration between existing community service organizations on campus including: Engineers Without Borders, Greener Engineering Organization, realSERVICE, and Soap Box Derby (A-Section) or Relay for Life (B-Section). Second, to serve as a direct link to the Flint community where volunteers are needed. The aim, in the long run, is to pool all community service activities which will open the flow of communication and help local needs reach the largest number of students. Offering this so-called "clearing house" of activities will also make it much easier to allocate the appropriate number of man-hours to a project. Having a central location will also aid in the record keeping of service hours, which is often needed to pursue large grants.
The Student Civic Engagement Center started out as an idea, a student's hope, my hope to change Kettering for the better. I attended the Grand Valley State Leadership Summit last February, and found it extremely inspiring. Not only were the seminars informational, but I was surrounded by students who had civic engagement fully intertwined in their curriculum. Throughout the remainder of last winter term, I worked on a proposal requesting a space and initial funding for the center from Kettering. While liquid funding was not available, I was able to work with Kettering staff to obtain donations from various departments though out campus.
Did you also know... that one of President Obama's campaign goals was to have every college graduate complete at least 100 hours of community service regardless of his/her degree program?
Should this Presidential initiative come to fruition, does Kettering have the infrastructure to support it? Not quite yet, but the addition of Kettering University's Student Civic Engagement Center (SCEC) will help guide the way... SCEC? What is that?
The mission of the SCEC is two fold. First, to inspire collaboration between existing community service organizations on campus including: Engineers Without Borders, Greener Engineering Organization, realSERVICE, and Soap Box Derby (A-Section) or Relay for Life (B-Section). Second, to serve as a direct link to the Flint community where volunteers are needed. The aim, in the long run, is to pool all community service activities which will open the flow of communication and help local needs reach the largest number of students. Offering this so-called "clearing house" of activities will also make it much easier to allocate the appropriate number of man-hours to a project. Having a central location will also aid in the record keeping of service hours, which is often needed to pursue large grants.
The Student Civic Engagement Center started out as an idea, a student's hope, my hope to change Kettering for the better. I attended the Grand Valley State Leadership Summit last February, and found it extremely inspiring. Not only were the seminars informational, but I was surrounded by students who had civic engagement fully intertwined in their curriculum. Throughout the remainder of last winter term, I worked on a proposal requesting a space and initial funding for the center from Kettering. While liquid funding was not available, I was able to work with Kettering staff to obtain donations from various departments though out campus.
Be the first to comment on this story