Service Learning Survey

Miami University All Faculty [ALLFAC@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU] on behalf of Herbst, Jeffrey Dr. [herbstj@MUOHIO.EDU]

Sent:	Tuesday, September 09, 2008 9:01 AM

To:

ALLFAC@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU

Attachments:

Dear Colleagues,

Several years ago, Learn and Serve America (see: http://www.learnandserve.org/) created the "President's Honor Roll" for colleges and universities that demonstrate a strong record of service. This recognition program was "designed to increase public awareness of the contributions that college students are making within their local communities and across the country through volunteer service." Some examples of service learning include:

1. In a course on children's literacy, Miami students assess and tutor a child two afternoons a week and write reflections on their own literacy development and the child's progress. Their work is placed in the context of literacy development while meeting a community need for children at academic risk.

2. A community non-profit agency wishes to create flyers informing the community about available resources, health care services, legal aid, etc.

An English business writing class gathers the information, determines the audience and goals of the agency etc. and develops the flyers.

Miami University's Center for Community Engagement and Service applied to be recognized in 2007. To our credit, we were awarded Honor Roll status. We will be applying again this year (2008) with descriptions of the top programs our students engage in that have a beneficial impact on local communities. Our colleagues in the Center for Community Engagement and Service seek information from faculty who are engaging students in service as part of course work or through extra-curricular projects. In addition to helping us with our application, the information you supply will help us understand the extent of service learning across the curriculum.

If your course has a service learning component, please answer the following questions and forward your response to Professor Kathy McMahon-Klosterman mcmahok@muohio.edu by September 18th. Please contact Professor McMahon-Klosterman with any questions.

Thank you,

Jeff Herbst

Provost

Higher Education Community Service President's Honor Roll Application

Service Learning Information Sheet

2008

Date: 10 Sept 2008

Faculty/ Staff Name: Roger D. Meicenheimer

Department: Botany

Phone number: 7012

Project name/description: "Oxford Tree Mapping Homework Exercise"

http://www.cas.muohio.edu/%7Emeicenrd/mudescd/Dendrology/OxfordTreeMapProject/Oxford TreeProject.html

Course number (if related to a course): BOT 205

Number of students involved: 14

Approximate number of contact hours for total project (i.e., 50 students at 2 contact hours each =100 hours): 4 -8 hrs/student X 14 students = 56-112 total hours

Community Affected: City of Oxford

Name of agency/school:

Number of people impacted (if measurable): Number = population of humans and trees living in Oxford, estimated at 22,000 humans and 2,000 4,000 trees.

See http://www.cityofoxford.org/Page.asp?NavID=310 for Oxford Urban Forest details.

Date(s) of the project: Fall Semester 2008

2008 Focus Area: Describe any way your project provides "services to youth from disadvantaged circumstances that lower school dropout rates and prepare youth for college".

Trees, both young and old, growing in urban environments, are disadvantaged because they can't move and are subject to the proclivities of human activity within that environment; that more often than not, have adverse effects on their well being. Training students in techniques pertinent to urban forest management provides service to all the citizens of the city of Oxford and to the trees that constitute the Oxford Urban Forest.

Jeffrey Herbst

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Miami University