Midwest Consortium for Service-Learning in Higher Education

Midwest Consortium for Service-learning in Higher Education

The Midwest Consortium for Service-learning in Higher Education is a coalition of colleges and universities established to foster service-learning efforts in institutions across the area. Participating institutions, united in strengthening their academic programs, communities, states and the nation through service-learning, will be encouraged and supported in their efforts through grants, training and consultations. Member institutions include the following: Black Hills State University Midland Lutheran College Central Community College Morningside College Chadron State College Mount Marty College Clarkson College Nebraska Methodist College College of Saint Mary Nebraska Wesleyan University Concordia University Northern State University Creighton University Oglala Lakota College Dakota State University South Dakota State University Dakota Wesleyan University University of Nebraska-Kearney Dana College University of Nebraska-Lincoln Doane College University of Nebraska-Medical Center Hastings College University of Nebraska-Omaha Iowa Western Community College University of South Dakota Metropolitan Community College Wayne State College

Funding of the Consortium is provided through a federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which was established in 1993 to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in community-based service. Learn and Serve America is an arm of the Corporation which supports the integration of service into the academic life of over a million students in all 50 states.

Definitions of Service-learning: Academic Service-learning is a pedagogy that integrates service in the community with academic study (theory/curriculum). Faculty, in partnership with representatives of nonprofit community organizations, design service-learning projects based on two main objectives: . Meeting identified community needs, which helps strengthen the community . Advancing students’ understanding of course content. Strong reflective components are built into the course to help students consider relationships among their service, the course curriculum, and its impact on their personal values and professional goals.

Co-curricular Service-learning differs only with regard to a link to course content. It maintains the service to meet a community need and includes strong reflection and evaluation components. Generally these service activities are directed under the leadership of student organizations and groups. Service Learning Sub-grant Proposal Guidelines

Introduction and General Information: The Midwest Consortium for Service-Learning in Higher Education plans to award 2009 institutional sub-grants totaling $315,000, among its member institutions, with funds from the Consortium’s Federal grant funds. Creighton University is eligible to apply for up to $15,000 in grant funding to initiate and sustain service-learning infrastructure by addressing the required focus of delivering service-learning programs to youth in disadvantaged circumstances or to increase educational outcomes or programs that address disaster preparedness and mitigation. These Federal funds are made available through the Corporation for National and Community Service under the Learn and Serve America: Higher Education grant program. The Midwest Consortium and the National Corporation share the following goals:

 Support programs that significantly promote service-learning as an approach to teaching and learning.

 Support the development of core partnerships between institutions of higher education and Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (PK-12) affiliated agencies (e.g. schools, scouts, 4-H, YM/WCA) that focus on developing a commitment to learning in youth in disadvantaged circumstances.

 Support intergenerational dialogues between institutions of higher education and within agencies, communities, and neighborhoods to assess and address relevant community issues, with an emphasis on engaging disadvantaged youth.

 Support high quality service-learning programs that engage students in meeting community needs, with demonstrable results, while enhancing students’ academic and civic learning.

 Support the involvement of community agency board members and seasoned PK- 12 teachers to be involved in the assessment process with higher education participants and PK-12 youth.

See the Midwest Consortium website (http://midwestconsortium.org/default.aspx) for more information about service-learning, the Consortium, and Learn and Serve America.

Eligible Applications: Creighton University plans to award sub-grants of $500-$1,000, although exceptions may be made for particularly compelling proposals. Anyone engaged in service-learning programs that fit this year’s focus are eligible for these sub-grants. The 2009 Grants are limited to service learning activities between January 1-July 31, 2009 that focus on youth in disadvantaged circumstances, intergenerational dialogues prioritizing service- learning programs for disadvantaged youth, development of syllabi and other curricular materials to support service-learning in specific disciplines, and/or disaster preparedness, which includes college students and youth from any field of study who are engaged in service-learning to reconstruct property and social systems following man-made or natural disasters.

Sub-grant proposals will be reviewed by the Office for Academic Excellence and Assessment or a peer institution’s committee, dependent on size of the requested funding.

Submission: Applications should be electronically submitted to Mary Ann Danielson, [email protected], through the Office for Academic Excellence and Assessment, by October 1, 2008.

Questions may be addressed to Mary Ann Danielson, Creighton University’s Midwest Consortium Representative, at 280-2535.

Priorities: Priority will be given to proposals addressing the Consortium’s key theme of building partnerships between Higher Education and K-12 entities to address the civic engagement of disadvantaged youth. Proposals developing syllabi or co-curricular programs and/or disaster preparedness and mitigation are particularly welcome. All grant-funded activities (expenditures) will need to be concluded by July 31, 2009; therefore, at this time, no funding for fall 2009 activities can be granted.

Proposal Guidelines

Each proposal should include a title page, abstract, proposal narrative, timeline, and budget. If necessary, a brief budget narrative may be appended.

Title Page (Project title and Application contact information)

Abstract (maximum 150 words) Describe the nature of the project and the form(s) of service learning to be performed.

Proposal Narrative (maximum four pages; follow the outline below) a. Objectives. Describe the learning objectives of the course or program and the supporting service component. b. Service component. Describe the service activities envisioned. Show that the service activities will meet a genuine community need; will engage students in more than 20 hours of service; will provide students with a meaningful experience; and will help students meet the course’s or program’s learning objectives. c. Partnership selection and development. Outline the process for selecting and establishing relationships with nonprofit agencies. d. Orientation. Explain how students will be prepared for the service experience and oriented to community agencies. e. Reflection. Describe reflection activities used to encourage synthesis of the course material and the service experience and to promote critical thinking. f. Evaluation. Explain how outcomes will be assessed, considering both outcomes for students (defined in terms of the learning objectives) and outcomes for the community. g. Dissemination. Explain whether the course or program is replicable and how the course or program model can be shared with colleagues in service-learning and in the relevant discipline. Recipients of mini-grants will be required to discuss their funded projects, particularly their evaluation of the methods they use to facilitate social analysis and reflection, with the institution’s faculty, and possibly with other groups such as representatives of the Consortium. h. Syllabus: Append a copy of current course syllabus, draft of proposed new course syllabus, or program materials, as relevant and available.

Timeline Describe timeline for planning, teaching or leading, and evaluating the course or program outcomes (January 1, 2009 – July 31, 2009 calendar only).

Budget If any item appearing on the budget form is not self-explanatory, write a few sentences of explanation.

Fund Use: Grant funding may be used for faculty or student travel, including conference fees, food, and lodging; supplies and materials; program evaluation; and student worker salaries. All materials and supplies purchased with Consortium funds, which are not consumed or distributed during the grant period become the property of the applicant’s institution. Equipment purchase and international travel expenses are not permitted.

Each grant requested must have at least a 100% in-kind or cash match from the applicant. In-kind match may include time and effort of the faculty member, i.e. salary and benefits and any costs incurred in developing the project. Indirect costs (administrative costs, office space, equipment use, etc.) are also allowable toward the match as defined by the federally negotiated indirect cost rate for the institution.