• Healthy, dynamic, sustainable communities.
• Compassionate, thoughtful, and skilled global citizens, leaders, problem solvers.
• Relevant, collaborative, engaged institutions.
  
  

  Who We Are | What We Do | Definitions

  Why VCC and Higher Education | Compelling Reasons to Pursue the Goals of VCC

  VCC Outcomes and Impacts... and Accomplishments

  Membership | Funding | Snapshots

Who We Are

Vermont Campus Compact is a consortium of 22 college and university campuses aiming to catalyze the public missions of higher education. We seek to transform our campuses in ways that contribute to social, economic, and environmental sustainability while developing better informed, active citizen problem-solvers. We believe that our campuses must be vital agents and architects of a flourishing democracy.

• Improve the quality of education by developing academic and co-curricular policies and practices that cultivate in our students the skills and habits of thoughtful and compassionate leaders, citizens and problem-solvers;

• Engage faculty in community-based teaching and scholarship that address social, economic, and environmental concerns;

• Develop collaborative partnerships among campuses and communities;

• Create diverse opportunities for students to engage in local and global communities, to promote an ethic of service, develop compassion and respect for diversity, and provide real-world experience;

• Advance leadership throughout the state in addressing critical issues and strengthening democracy.

VCC provides myriad grants, training and resources; creates networks and convenes stakeholders; highlights outstanding accomplishments and exemplary practices; and responds to the unique requests of our diverse portfolio of higher education institutions as they aim to realize their civic and social mission. Some 2006-07 programming includes:

• Grant programs to support campus initiatives and curricular reform;

• Faculty training and resources;

• Campus/Community partnership development;

• An annual Student Conference, and other student training and statewide networking;

• Training and support to lead public deliberation and dialogue;

• Tuition scholarships for student leaders in service;

• AmeriCorps*VISTA members to mobilize college resources to fight poverty in Vermont.

• Annual Awards and Celebration at the Vermont State House.

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Definitions

Civic Engagement Service-learning and civic engagement are not the same thing in the sense that not all service-learning has a civic dimension and not all civic engagement is service-learning. For definition’s sake, civic engagement is the broader motif, encompassing service-learning but not limited to it. One useful definition of civic engagement is the following: individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern. Civic engagement can take many forms, from individual voluntarism to organizational involvement to electoral participation. It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a community to solve a problem or interact with the institutions of representative democracy. Civic engagement encompasses a range of specific activities such as working in a soup kitchen, serving on a neighborhood association, writing a letter to an elected official or voting. Indeed, an underlying principal of our approach is that an engaged citizen should have the ability, agency and opportunity to move comfortably among these various types of civic acts. (Source: Michael Delli Carpini, Director, Public Policy, The Pew Charitable Trusts.)

Service-learning is a credit-bearing, educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility. (From: Robert Bringle and Julie Hatcher, "A Service Learning Curriculum for Faculty." Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, Fall 1995, pp. 112-122.)

Service-learning combines service objectives with learning objectives with the intent that the activity change both the recipient and the provider of the service. This is accomplished by combining service tasks with structured opportunities that link the task to self-reflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content. (Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse)

Action Research seeks both to understand and to alter the problems generated by social systems by combining theory and action in one's studies.

Community Service is the engagement of students in activities that primarily focus on the service being provided and the benefits that service activities have on the recipients (e.g., providing food to the homeless during the holidays). The students receive some benefits by learning more about how their service makes a difference in the lives of the service recipients.

The Engaged Campus is a college or university which emphasizes community involvement through its activities and its definition of scholarship. The engaged campus is involved in: community relationships, community development, community empowerment, community discourse, and educational change. Some of the benchmarks for the engaged campus include: campus-community partnerships, careful reflection, and sustained impact.

Field Education programs provide students with co-curricular service opportunities that are related, but not fully integrated, with their formal academic studies. Students perform the service as a part of a program that is designed primarily to enhance students' understanding of a field of study, while also providing substantial emphasis on the service being provided.

Internship programs engage students in service activities primarily for the purpose of providing students with hands-on experiences that enhance their learning or understanding of issues relevant to a particular area of study or career path.

Reflection describes the process of deriving meaning and knowledge from experience. Virtually all thought entails some level of reflection. Effective reflection engages both teachers and students in a thoughtful and thought-provoking process that consciously connects experience with learning.

(Sources: Caron, Barbara, ed. Service Matters: The Engaged Campus. Providence, RI: Campus Compact, 1999. Furco, Andrew. "Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education" in Expanding Boundaries: Serving and Learning, B. Taylor, ed., 1996.)

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Why VCC and Higher Education

"The need to resolve complex problems intelligently places an ever greater demand on higher education - a demand for graduates who have a profound understanding of what it means to be a citizen; graduates capable of an interest larger than self-interest; graduates capable of helping this country to be not simply a strong competitor but a responsible and effective leader in a complicated world." - Frank Newman, Former President of the Education Commission of the States and Campus Compact co-founder.

Historically, the mission and tradition of higher education linked teaching and scholarship to service and society. However, in recent years, the efforts of the academy broadly have not been institutionally targeted towards local communities and their greatest needs; nor has higher education been viewed as a vital partner in identifying solutions. Yet the need for higher education to be engaged has never been greater, particularly on behalf of our children, communities, and the environment. Likewise, the need to educate and prepare global citizens to become tomorrow's leaders and problem solvers is becoming increasingly critical. Teaching the ethic of civic and social responsibility is a vital component of higher education.

Vermont college and university presidents recognize the essential role of higher education to advance social, economic and environmental problem solving and renew civic responsibility and engagement. In1999, twenty-three Vermont higher education presidents formally embraced this movement. In an unprecedented commitment, four-year, two-year, graduate, public and private colleges and universities joined together to create Vermont Campus Compact. Higher education, in Vermont and nationally, is reinvigorating its commitment to mitigate some of our most pressing social, economic, and environmental, as well as civic and ethical problems, while preparing future citizens and humanitarians.

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Compelling Reasons to Pursue the Goals of VCC

Communities need their colleges and universities.

Most business, government, and civic leaders agree that solutions to difficult community and statewide challenges must emerge from local communities and involve local institutions. Vermont colleges and universities are well suited to increase their role in community problem-solving efforts. They are geographically distributed throughout the state, have missions consistent with - and pride themselves on being committed to - community engagement, and possess a wide range of human, financial, and material resources.

Students need practical, community-based experience.

The health of our democracy depends on an active, informed citizenry, yet recent research shows that college students are often ill-equipped in knowledge, skills, and attitudes for their roles as citizens and public leaders - skills that also are increasingly important in the workplace and global society. Fortunately, research also shows that students involved in high quality courses or programs combining service with learning demonstrate increased academic understanding and engagement, commitment to service, ability to work effectively with others, and improved workforce skills.

Colleges and universities need to demonstrate their relevance - to students, communities, the state and nation.

Government, business, and the public at large sometimes criticize higher education as unaccountable and irrelevant to many spheres of life. In partnership with business and government, higher education can serve as the "third leg," strengthening the infrastructure for development and systemic problem-solving. VCC campuses recognize their future is inextricably linked to their success in developing clearer connections between research, teaching and outreach functions and the well-being of individuals and communities in Vermont.

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VCC Outcomes and Impact…

In Communities

• VCC members formed more than 670 partnerships with local, state and international organizations and agencies.
• 75% of those community agencies reported more community needs being met as a result of their higher education partnership.
• 85% of community partner agencies reported improved relationship with higher education as a result of VCC activities.

On Students

• An estimated 25% of the approximately 30,000 college and university students on VCC campuses engage in course-based service-learning each year.
• Another 44% are active in community service activities annually, through co-curricular and work-study service programs and internships, compared to 31% nationally.
• These students contributed more than 250,000 hours of service last year.
• 93% of students participating in VCC-sponsored dialogues reported increased interest in future public participation, as well as increased tolerance, respect, and appreciation for differences.
• Over 300 students served as part-time AmeriCorps members with VCC, completing over 160,000 hours of service, recruiting more than 7,000 additional students and others to volunteer in the community, and earning over $500,000 towards their tuition or student loans.
• Southern Vermont College reports an increase in course and paper grades for students who participate in service-learning versus students who do not participate;
• Data also show service-learning is effective in keeping SVC first generation college students in school.

At Institutions

• The number of faculty integrating community-based teaching has increased 5 fold since VCC began.
• 21% of VCC member faculty teach service-learning, compared to 13% nationally.
• 97% of service learning faculty say their students learn more as a result of service-learning.
• 100% of VCC member institutions offer service-learning courses.
• The number of service-learning classes in Vermont has jumped 500% since VCC was founded.
• Service-learning has been integrated into more than 100 different departments or programs.

…and Accomplishments

VCC raised nearly $2,500,000 to support campus-based service, service-learning and civic engagement efforts since 1999, and provided over $450,000 in campus and faculty grants.

Over 2500 faculty, staff, and students have participated in VCC training/professional development events. 97% of faculty participants reported VCC helped them to deliver high quality service-learning courses.

VCC reached more than 12,000 college and university students since fall of 2002.

Over 5000 VCC staff hours provided training, technical assistance, instruction and support for students.

Vermont Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA members serving at the different colleges have worked with over 400 community partners and mobilized over 6000 volunteers to complete more than 120,000 additional hours of service. Vermont Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA members have worked to build capacity and infrastructure to help colleges work more effectively with the community.

In one year, VCC distributed over 3,000 handbooks, journals, toolkits, newsletters, and other publications to members with the latest information on effective practices and partnerships.

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Membership

22 Vermont colleges and universities are members of Vermont Campus Compact (92% of Vermont higher education institutions).

Vermont Campus Compact is affiliated with a national coalition of more than 1000 college and university presidents, and 32 state affiliate offices.

Members see a 5 - 10 fold return on their annual dues in services, grants, and other benefits.

Click here to see a list of Member Institutions

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Funding

Vermont Campus Compact is grateful for receiving generous financial support from the following organizations:

Institutional leaders:
Middlebury College (our host institution)
VCC Presidents' Leadership Circle (Presidents who pledge a gift above annual dues each year):
$5,000: Daniel Fogel, Ron Leibowitz, Richard Schneider, Marc vanderHeyden, David Wolk;
$2,500: Jack Brennan.

and civically and/or socially responsible Vermont businesses:

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Snapshots

Service, Service-Learning, and Civic Engagement Projects
Supported by VCC across Vermont

Below are brief descriptions of projects or activities developed or supported by VCC resources. Included are some examples of service-learning courses in a variety of academic departments and programs throughout Vermont. Service-learning is a growing and valued practice in education which involves students in community-based work as part of the curriculum to enhance academic and community outcomes. It is a highly effective means for institutions to realize their educational missions, develop students who are educated for the public good and create authentic partnerships with local communities.

• Implementing renewable energy practices on a sustainable organic farm
• Helping prisoners with art and writing
• Volunteering with a helpline for victims of domestic abuse
• Teaching adaptive skiing to children with disabilities
• Organizing youth with drug and alcohol prevention activities
• Building capacity for Service-Learning programs
• Serving on a volunteer rescue squad
• Working with education programs for youth living at a homeless shelter
• Computer tutoring at the local public library
• Assisting in a community mapping project.

Southern Vermont College partnered with First United Methodist Church and its Open Door Youth Center. The Open Door serves youth and provides a safe environment for teens with a pool table, music, and food. Southern Vermont College students are acting as mentors while supervising the youth during the times the Center is open. Although The Open Door and Southern Vermont College have not been in a sustained partnership, a lesson that has already become evident is how important it is to integrate the College's students into the community's efforts to address teen loitering, drug and alcohol concerns, and the high rate of teen pregnancy in Bennington. The Open Door serves as the only teen support center in Bennington.

The University of Vermont and its Applied Community and Economic Development Program used problem-based service learning classes to send students fanning out through the community to build connections and practices that will improve life in the Old North End and Vermont by keeping more of UVM's jobs and spending closer to home. Students in one course set up a two-hour tour of campus facilities for administrators at local employment agencies. Other students focused on current employees, particularly those in lower wage positions, assessing their job satisfaction and needs for additional language or professional training. Students found that many current employees needed English as second language courses but found work schedules and a lack of understanding of the available programs hampered access. Working closely with the employment office and the physical plant department, students developed brochures in several different languages explaining the range of training options. They also collaborated with staff to better coordinate the timing of ESL classes jibe better with the schedules of the workers who need them.

Middlebury College students from an Environmental Policy and Economics class researched sprawl and its effects. Specifically, they examined whether there was any correlation between the outflow of population from Middlebury to smaller towns in the county and Middlebury's high property tax rates and stagnant housing growth. This data was then presented to town and county officials, lawmakers, and planning boards, and a front page article was printed in the county newspaper.

VCC Student Service Leadership Corps members have been actively transforming the Green Mountain College farm to become a valuable resource to the community. The farm sponsors a summer camp for Rutland area youth and is a site for elementary school field trips. It donates its food to low-income families in the area, and serves as a model of sustainable agriculture. The farm also enhances the educational mission of the college; serving as a service-learning site, students are able to learn course curriculum through participation in organic, sustainable agriculture.

Students from EDU 309, Analysis of Reading Difficulties, needed to learn and practice techniques for the recognition and remediation of the reading difficulties of young children. Mettawee Community School (MCS) is trying to improve the literacy of those students who presently perform poorly on the state reading assessment. EDU 309 students work directly with students identified as needing special reading assistance. Education students write case reports analyzing the reading challenges they encounter and, more generally, reflect on their experiences as a reading partner.

Using training and resources from VCC's Diversity and Community Project and Raise Your Voice Campaign, Champlain College students have been actively increasing civic engagement and student voice on their campus. Students led campus-wide forums on a variety of public policy and local campus issues. Student Forum, a group formed as an outgrowth of these forums, aims to build a stronger community and provide a venue for students to address issues on campus that are important to them. Students at Champlain for an Active Democracy (SCAD) is another new group devoted to increasing student civic engagement on campus through a variety of ways including registering students to vote, creating voter registration and media guides, and hosting documentaries and discussions about current events.

An Architecture faculty at Norwich University used the Problem-Based Service-Learning approach in her Design Studio class. Students responded to a request from town authorities in Keene, NY for planning ideas to address dangerous traffic concerns, precipitated when an elderly man was killed crossing a busy highway that cuts through town to retrieve his mail. Students toured the town, met with authorities, and prepared drawings and presented plans to address the problem.
Biology majors must learn species classification techniques. The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) needs to inventory certain indicator species but doesn't have the personnel to do this across the state. Strictly following the ANR protocol, students enrolled in BIO 415, Invertebrate Zoology, assume responsibility for conducting an indicator species inventory in a western Vermont region identified by the ANR.

A Clinical Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at UVM is currently teaching a service-learning course in which students staff a pro bono or reduced cost physical therapy clinic, open one day a week, and based within a local organization. Students evaluate, instruct, practice, and modify home exercise programs, and, when necessary, refer patients for more frequent care. Efforts to establish a free physical therapy clinic is fulfilling a long time desire on the part of the department to create an outreach clinic to serve real community needs while educating students.

Through VCC's Future Teachers Using Service-Learning (FTUSL), student teachers at the University of Vermont, Bennington and Middlebury College learn about service-learning pedagogy in K-12 schools and then incorporate a service-learning project into their practicum. Students document and contribute their work to a statewide library of service-learning units.

An Introduction to Human Services class at Community College of Vermont produced two 20-minute videos for non-profit agencies. The Champlain Valley Agency on Aging needed a video for volunteer recruitment. VSA Arts Vermont wanted a video to feature their latchkey programs for children. The CCV students researched the agencies and their programs, interviewed agency staff, participants and volunteers and produced the videos for the two organizations.
The Nursing program at Castleton State College considers it very important to develop students' communication skills, including their writing abilities. Council on Aging (COA) has had difficulty generating articles for its weekly Rutland Herald column on health issues for the elderly. Nursing majors work with a COA caseworker to develop health promotion articles for area elders. Articles are required assignments in NUR 102 and reviewed for accuracy of medical content prior to final submission to the Herald.

SOC-4010 Family Violence at Johnson State College is a course designed to explore the nature of family violence for women, men, and children in our local community and within our society. Students do both classroom reading and research and participate in an 18-hour training in domestic violence, sponsored by the Clarina Howard Nichols Center, a local women's shelter. Many of the students in the course continue to volunteer for the Center once the course is completed.

Physical education majors need to learn how to provide adaptive physical education programming for students with disabilities. The Old Homestead Community Center wanted to develop an afterschool program for elementary students with physical disabilities. Physical education majors enrolled in PED 349, Adapted Physical Education, planned, implemented, and evaluated a program permitting K-6 students to explore their physical capabilities with the goal of preparing interested children for participation in a Special Olympics event.

BUS 219 students at Castleton State College needed to develop a vehicle to demonstrate their decision-making and organizational skills. The Rutland Housing Coalition has a group of low-income residents in a housing complex in dire need of help with personal finances. Students developed several personal finance workshops to present to housing complex residents, and also provided residents with informational resources on insurance, investments and retirement planning.

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