Office of Community Service (OCS)

Civic Engagement sponsored by the Office of Community Service (OCS) at The George Washington University (GW) increased student retention and satisfaction throughout the 2007-2008 academic year.  Student testimonies and service data demonstrate that students who participated in service programs sponsored by the Office of Community Service were more likely to remain at GW and more likely to feel satisfied with their overall GW experience due to that participation.  Service-Learning (defined as the integration of civic engagement into course curriculum) contributed to that retention and satisfaction by helping students connect with faculty members, student peers and community partners.  Students noted an increased “sense of caring” on the part of GW faculty and staff who encouraged them to engage communities throughout the District of Columbia (DC).  This sense of caring was then given back by students, evidenced by the fact that 7% of graduating senior class applied to Teach for America (TFA), making TFA the single largest employer of 2008 GW graduates.  GW was also ranked number two in the country of all mid-size universities for producing the most Peace Corps volunteers in 2007.  OCS continues to network with parents, alumni and strategic funders to secure needed resources to expand programming opportunities competitive with market-basket schools.  Overall, OCS supported over 2,800 students (more than 25% of the undergraduate population) performing over 52,000 hours of service valued at over $1,500,000 according to the Independent Sector.

Program Overview: 2007-2008
Adopt-A-Family engaged 121 departments, offices, student organizations, and individuals to donate gifts of clothing, household necessities, gift baskets, toys, and gift certificates to support 140 economically disadvantaged families throughout the District of Columbia.  Needy families were identified by OCS community partners including Academy of Hope, CentroNia, Latin American Youth Center, Salvation Army, Transitional Housing Corporation, and the YMCA.  The number of donors, families, and community partners grew significantly from last year to this year.

Alternative Breaks expanded to support student-lead service trips throughout the academic calendar due to high student interest in spending university breaks in a drug and alcohol-free service environment.  Faculty interest also exists for incorporating Service-Learning into the Alternative Break student experience.  This year, 133 students, five staff and one faculty member traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana and Memphis, Tennessee to work with Habitat for Humanity and the Bonhuer Children’s Hospital.  This is more than double the number of student participants from last year, demonstrating the growing interest of students to spend their university breaks serving others in a drug and alcohol-free environment.

Community Building Community offered 187 incoming students and 26 returning student leaders opportunities to connect with campus and local community members prior to the start of classes while performing 3,740 hours of service throughout DC.
 
DC Reads remains the largest university tutoring program in the District of Columbia (DC), with GW designating a significant portion of its Federal Work Study (FWS) allocation to support youth literacy via community partnerships with OCS.  OCS works directly with Stevens Elementary and seven community partners supporting 19 DC public schools to recruit, hire, train and manage FWS tutors.  169 tutors completed 12,350 hours of tutoring for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Jumpstart DC at GW recruited, trained, placed and supervised 45 student AmeriCorps members who completed 13,500 hours of service to help meet the school-readiness needs pre-kindergarten children from low-income backgrounds throughout DC. In addition, 280 outside volunteers were engaged in various service projects and contributed 1,436 hours of service.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service brought together 205 students performing 1,025 hours of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Community for Creative Non-violence (CCNV), which is the largest homeless shelter of its kind in the United States.

Neighbors Project placed 1,282 volunteers and service-learners with 37 community partner agencies, non-profit organizations and schools, performing 16,822 hours of service.  Students engaged with social issues such as affordable housing, environmental sustainability, literacy disparities, and sexual assault awareness to become more active and engaged citizens and scholars.

Service-Learning was further integrated into courses offered by departments such as University Writing, Exercise Science, Spanish, and Business Administration. Administrative support for the institutionalization of Service-Learning was provided through the development of Service-Learning Handbooks for Faculty and Community Partners (final publication expected mid-summer) and Faculty Roundtables.

 Service Highlights:
*Teach for America was the number one employer of GW graduating seniors, with a record 53 students accepted into teaching positions and a record 7% of the graduating senior class applying to teach.  This represents a 276% increase in the number of accepted applicants from last year.
*GW was ranked #2 in the country of all mid-size universities for producing the most Peace Corps volunteers in 2006.