Academic Affairs Advisory Committee for Service-Learning

Membership 2007-2008

• Donald Mowry, Chair—Director, Center for Service-Learning (ex-officio)
• Beth Hellwig—Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students (ex-officio)
• Margaret Cassidy—Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
• Robert Sutton—Associate Dean, College of Business
• Larry Solberg —Associate Dean, College of Education and Human Sciences
• Sheila Smith —Assistant Dean, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
• Simei Tong (2010)—Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics
• Susan Krueger (2010)—Senior Lecturer, Department of Biology
• James Tubbs (2008)—Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
• Richard Ryberg (2008)—Associate Professor, Department of Social Work
• Crispin Pierce (2010)—Assistant Professor, Public Health Professions
• Rajarshi Aroskar (2009)—Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting and Finance
• Signe Matson (2010)—Student Services Coordinator, Advising and New Student Initiatives
• Jayne Bielecki (2008)—Clinical Instructor, Department of Nursing
• Meghan Charlier—Student Representative
• Dylan Jambrek—Student Representative
• Lucas Knowles—Student Representative
• Tim Lauer—Student Representative

1. Address the concerns and recommendations of the Service-Learning Work Group:
   • Service learning needs a shared vision across the institution. Service learning silos have isolated and restricted program development (credit vs. non-credit, territorial and discipline specific programming, on-campus vs. off campus, etc.). In particular, the Director of the Center for Service Learning needs to be involved in the process of determining whether a course should be designated as carrying service learning credit.
   • Service learning roles of faculty/staff, students and community partners need definition, clarification, understanding and respect. In particular service learning needs to be given a higher priority by faculty and administration; faculty heavily involved with service learning need to be supported with released time. Perhaps, faculty from the Colleges of Arts & Science and Business could be given released time to handle the mentoring aspects.
   • Service Learning standards need clarification and consistent interpretation and application across the institution. In particular, the Director of the Center for Service Learning should work with the academic deans to determine precisely how their undergraduate majors meet the service learning requirement. There is no doubt that they do so, but if this is a graduation requirement, then we need to be able to point precisely to how students meet the requirement.
   • Service learning pedagogy appears to lack campus-wide momentum necessary for building on the power of interdisciplinary approaches to complex problems and for the potential to transform traditional teaching and learning practices into service learning opportunities.
   • More opportunities need to be created for students to learn about service learning.
   • Each semester's class bulletin should contain a section listing all courses available for that semester fulfilling the service learning requirement. A possibility might be that all service learning be offered for credit through a general education course so designated. Independent studies might be possible, coordinated by released faculty in the Colleges of Arts & Science and Business.
   • A formalized ongoing assessment procedure needs to be established for service learning.
2. Advise the Director of the Center for Service-Learning on the administration of existing programs and on the development of new or expanded services.
3. Promote service-learning as an integral component of the undergraduate experience at UW-Eau Claire.
4. Advocate service-learning as a beneficial enterprise to enhance a community's quality of life and to promote active citizenship and civic participation among students.
5. Work with college and department committees to identify, encourage, and develop appropriate service-learning embedded courses.
6. Work with the University Senate's Academic Policies Committee to enhance the importance of service-learning within the curriculum.

1. The Director of the Center for Service-Learning (ex-officio).
2. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students (ex-officio).
3. An Assistant or Associate Dean from each College.
4. Four students (preferably one from each College).
5. Faculty members to include three from Arts and Sciences, one from Education and Human Sciences, one from Nursing and Health Sciences, and one from Business.
6. Academic staff members to include one instructional academic staff and one nonteaching academic staff.

Chair: Director of the Center for Service-Learning
Term: Three years, rotating