TURLOCK, CA—March 21, 2012—California State University (CSU), Stanislaus has been recognized with the President of the United States’ Higher Education Community Service Award by the Corporation for National and Community Service. This is the sixth consecutive year CSU Stanislaus has received the honor, and the second consecutive year the university has been placed on the Honor Roll with Distinction, recognition reserved for the top tier of honorees.
“We are extremely grateful to receive this award recognizing the excellent work faculty, staff, and students are doing in our community,” said President Hamid Shirvani. “We continually seek to enhance our students’ learning through service opportunities that inspire them to become active and engaged citizens.”
Honorees are chosen based on the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service learning is embedded in course curriculum, commitment to long-term community partnerships, and measurable outcomes as a result of community service.
The CSU Stanislaus Office of Service Learning works closely with university faculty on nearly 60 classes each academic year that support the learning experiences of over 750 students through community involvement. These initiatives provided over 46,000 volunteer hours of service to the community in the past year, the equivalent of over $966,000 in estimated contributions through time devoted to service activities in the region.
“The university remains strongly committed to the community. Our culture of service is evident in a wide array of disciplines, projects spanning the university's six colleges, and student club activities that address area poverty, homelessness, early childhood development, and regional ecology to name a few areas of support,” said Service Learning Director Julie Fox.
Recent examples of CSU Stanislaus community engagement activities include assisting low-income individuals with tax preparation, bringing science experiments into elementary schools, and supporting the work of area nonprofit organizations. Some specific programs include the following:
VITA Scholars Program: CSU Stanislaus works with the Internal Revenue Service, Hughson Family Resource Center, and the Turlock Salvation Army to prepare tax returns in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. University College of Business Administration (CBA) faculty, students and alumni, along with service learning staff, provide no-cost income tax service and financial literacy education for the community's low-income population that includes migrant workers. The CBA offers a one-semester course, "Real World Accounting,” to prepare student volunteers. Since 2003, over 240 CSU Stanislaus students have participated in the community project, with over $2.15 million in tax refunds returned to the local community.
“Chemistry in the Classroom”: Now in its eighth year, CSU Stanislaus coordinates with Turlock Unified School District to deliver STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)-related programs to 4th – 6th-grade elementary students that meet grade-specific standards for science. Students conduct chemistry experiments using common household ingredients. They made Silly Putty and Flubber through lessons such as “Acids & Bases,” “Oil & Water,” and “Enzymes.” Last year, CSU Stanislaus students from five chemistry classes visited 16 classrooms at three Turlock elementary schools.
United Samaritans Foundation Legacy of Hope: CSU Stanislaus students work with low-income individuals and families in Turlock and surrounding communities to assist people in transitioning to a better quality of life. In the fall, over 175 University faculty and students played a major role to support the "Legacy of Hope” fundraiser. The University provided service through student internships during the fall and spring semesters to work on the fundraiser, which supports annual funding for five, Daily Bread Mobile Food Trucks that provided 362,000 lunches in 2010 in the communities of Turlock, Hughson, Ceres and Modesto. In addition, 3,197 emergency food boxes were prepared for 1,187 families. A student fraternity, Nu Alpha Kappa, hosted events on campus to bring awareness of homeless individuals served by the food trucks. Students also hosted a clothing and blanket drive, and the University Agricultural Garden supplied over 2,000 pounds of vegetables that were used to prepare food supplied on the food trucks.
The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll (http://www.NationalService.gov/HonorRoll) recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the initiative celebrates the transformative power and volunteer spirit that exists within the higher education community.
Over the last 50 years, California State University, Stanislaus has grown to be a touchstone of higher learning, intellectual pursuit, artistic excellence, and cultural engagement for California’s Central Valley and beyond. We serve our diverse student body, region, and state with programs, partnerships, and alumni responsive to an evolving and interconnected world. To learn more about us and how we’ve progressed, go to www.csustan.edu.
“We are extremely grateful to receive this award recognizing the excellent work faculty, staff, and students are doing in our community,” said President Hamid Shirvani. “We continually seek to enhance our students’ learning through service opportunities that inspire them to become active and engaged citizens.”
Honorees are chosen based on the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service learning is embedded in course curriculum, commitment to long-term community partnerships, and measurable outcomes as a result of community service.
The CSU Stanislaus Office of Service Learning works closely with university faculty on nearly 60 classes each academic year that support the learning experiences of over 750 students through community involvement. These initiatives provided over 46,000 volunteer hours of service to the community in the past year, the equivalent of over $966,000 in estimated contributions through time devoted to service activities in the region.
“The university remains strongly committed to the community. Our culture of service is evident in a wide array of disciplines, projects spanning the university's six colleges, and student club activities that address area poverty, homelessness, early childhood development, and regional ecology to name a few areas of support,” said Service Learning Director Julie Fox.
Recent examples of CSU Stanislaus community engagement activities include assisting low-income individuals with tax preparation, bringing science experiments into elementary schools, and supporting the work of area nonprofit organizations. Some specific programs include the following:
VITA Scholars Program: CSU Stanislaus works with the Internal Revenue Service, Hughson Family Resource Center, and the Turlock Salvation Army to prepare tax returns in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. University College of Business Administration (CBA) faculty, students and alumni, along with service learning staff, provide no-cost income tax service and financial literacy education for the community's low-income population that includes migrant workers. The CBA offers a one-semester course, "Real World Accounting,” to prepare student volunteers. Since 2003, over 240 CSU Stanislaus students have participated in the community project, with over $2.15 million in tax refunds returned to the local community.
“Chemistry in the Classroom”: Now in its eighth year, CSU Stanislaus coordinates with Turlock Unified School District to deliver STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)-related programs to 4th – 6th-grade elementary students that meet grade-specific standards for science. Students conduct chemistry experiments using common household ingredients. They made Silly Putty and Flubber through lessons such as “Acids & Bases,” “Oil & Water,” and “Enzymes.” Last year, CSU Stanislaus students from five chemistry classes visited 16 classrooms at three Turlock elementary schools.
United Samaritans Foundation Legacy of Hope: CSU Stanislaus students work with low-income individuals and families in Turlock and surrounding communities to assist people in transitioning to a better quality of life. In the fall, over 175 University faculty and students played a major role to support the "Legacy of Hope” fundraiser. The University provided service through student internships during the fall and spring semesters to work on the fundraiser, which supports annual funding for five, Daily Bread Mobile Food Trucks that provided 362,000 lunches in 2010 in the communities of Turlock, Hughson, Ceres and Modesto. In addition, 3,197 emergency food boxes were prepared for 1,187 families. A student fraternity, Nu Alpha Kappa, hosted events on campus to bring awareness of homeless individuals served by the food trucks. Students also hosted a clothing and blanket drive, and the University Agricultural Garden supplied over 2,000 pounds of vegetables that were used to prepare food supplied on the food trucks.
The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll (http://www.NationalService.gov/HonorRoll) recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the initiative celebrates the transformative power and volunteer spirit that exists within the higher education community.
Over the last 50 years, California State University, Stanislaus has grown to be a touchstone of higher learning, intellectual pursuit, artistic excellence, and cultural engagement for California’s Central Valley and beyond. We serve our diverse student body, region, and state with programs, partnerships, and alumni responsive to an evolving and interconnected world. To learn more about us and how we’ve progressed, go to www.csustan.edu.