Community & University: A Duquesne University Honors Seminar Dr. Evan Stoddard Community & University Benjamin Shopland Getting to Know the Community Jamie White Selecting & Planning the Project Juliane Murphy Executing and Reporting Allison Pogue Project Assessment

Community & University Dr. Evan Stoddard

Community & University Honors Seminar Substitutes for a core writing course Writing-intensive

Course Objectives Know and love the community Research a community and its needs Learn important skills Writing proposals Project management and budgeting Writing reviews Work productively in a diverse team Contribute to the community Contribute to the national dialogue on service-learning

The Class Professor: Resource and Coach Course: Expression of Duquesne’s Mission First Day: We get started! The semester is short to do all we want to do.

Getting to Know the South Side Benjamin Shopland

Southside is well-known to DU students Lots to do close to campus 1,000 commuting students live on Southside

A Fresh Look at Southside Our First Three Assignments: -Personal Observations -Research -Group Report -using wiki technology with Blackboard -update old report -collage of our interests What can we offer Southside?

Get Out There: The Importance of Knowing the Community Project must have value in Community Community investment Sustainability Community Partners

Two Goals of Service Learning: Service: Benefit to Community Learning: Benefit to Students

Selecting & Planning the Project Jamie White

The Project: Revitalizing South Side Park Beautification Trail Mapping

Project Selection Storyboarding

Gantt Chart & Budget

Gantt Chart & Budget

Project Proposal Purpose and Result

Community Partners South Side Local Development Company South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association PA Cleanways Pittsburgh Public Works Pittsburgh Trail-building Advocacy Group Dr. Nancy Trun, DU Biology Dept Peter Greninger, REI Esser’s Floral DU Honors College DU Volunteers Aramark

Executing & Reporting Juliane Murphy

Funding Seed fund $100 Fundraisers Pizza sale T-shirt sale

Organizing the Class Class groups Work Groups Fundraising Volunteers Community Partners Advertising Work Groups Beautification Trail-mapping

Project Results Removed 300 trash bags 65 tires 2 refrigerators Several mattresses Car engine

Project Results Planted Flowers Improved and mapped a major trail Made community connections

Reporting: The Wiki

Reporting: Online Archive 1.Click here 2. Type keyword 3. Click here 4. View results

Project Assessment Allison Pogue

Lessons Learned Sustainability Realistic Project Choice Time Management Fundraising Teamwork & Leadership Grading

Role of the Instructor - Encouraged student responsibility - Granted freedom - Valuable resource

Student Reactions “I will take away a great experience from this course, and I am happy to have become friends with the members of our small class. I think this project effectively personalized our class with the community of the South Side and made us more aware of the people that live there and the concerns of their community.”

Student Reactions “I’ve learned a lot about the South Side and Pittsburgh communities in the past few months. I feel more connected to this area than ever before. It was tough to feel this way being from out of state and unfamiliar with the area.”

Student Reactions “As I look back on this class five years from now, I think I will remember what a great impact we were able to have on the community around us. I never realized how willing people were to help others out. The community was very willing to donate their time and money to our project.”

Thank you for attending our session! Any Questions?