Volunteer and Service-Learning Center Exchange

Eleven Faculty Members Complete the VSLC Community Service Faculty Fellowship Program By Laura Hill Rao and Susannah White

Volume 2, Issue 3

Eleven enthusiastic 2007 Community Service Faculty Fellows have joined the 42 other faculty members successfully utilizing service-learning in their courses at Buffalo State College. A fellow is a faculty member interested in acquiring an in-depth understanding of service-learning pedagogy and converting an existing course or creating a new service-learning course to be taught during the 2007-2008 academic year. This year’s fellows are an exciting and academically diverse group of individuals from a broad range of departments.

The 2007 Community Service Faculty Fellows include: Ms. Mary Bailey, Lecturer, Elementary Education and Reading; Dr. R. Bruce Baum, Professor, Exceptional Education; Dr. John Cabra, Assistant Professor, Creative Studies; Ms. Joy Guarino, Lecturer, Theater; Dr. Theresa Harris-Tigg, Assistant Professor, English; Dr. Carolyn Hilarski, Associate Professor, Social Work; Dr. Elizabethe Kelley, Assistant Professor, English; Ms. Meg Knowles, Assistant Professor, Communica-tion; Ms. Kathryn Leacock, Lecturer and Interim Director, Museum Studies Program, History and Social Studies Education; Dr. Jodelle S.W. Magner, Assistant Professor, Mathematics; Dr. Patrick McGovern, Assistant Professor, Political Science.

Fellows participate in a three day training which includes information on the pedagogy of service-learning, course conversion information, diversity training, a tour of Buffalo’s west side, and a project brainstorm-ing session with potential community partners. They receive assistance from the VSLC to develop projects, coordinate student visits and schedules, facilitate effective reflection

Fall, 2007

Inside This Issue:

Cover: Eleven Faculty Members Complete the VSLC Service Faculty Fellowship Program

Page 2 Earth Day 2007 Service-Learning Feature: Concerned Ecumenical Ministry

Page 3 Spring 2007 Celebration of Service The 12th Annual Buffalo State College Community Service Day

Page 4 Snapshots of Service-Learning

Page 5-6 Service-Learning Perspectives

Page.7-9 VSLC Bulletin Board

Page 10 Meet the VSLC Staff

activities, and assess the impact of service-learning on their students and community partners.

As the fourth class of VSLC fellows, this group was particularly eager about introducing students to issues around diversity through the service-learning pedagogy, environmental justice, and the unique concerns of youth. Each professor was eager to adapt what they had learned to their course and teaching style. They engaged with community members to identify appropriate projects for their classes which would provide quality learning opportunities for their students.

This year we were pleased to have as our trainer, Dr. Gary Hesser, a professor of Sociology at Augsburg College. Dr. Hesser brought a lifetime of service to his sessions on the pedagogy of service-learning, and course conversion. Kevin Michael Days, Advisor for Higher Education Special Initiatives for Learn and Serve America, led a very interactive workshop on diversity issues in service-learning. This segment of the training explored individual perceptions of diversity and how these perceptions may influence students. Great emphasis was also placed on how the fellows can engage their students in conversations about diversity and how important it is for students to reflect on their own opinions and stereotypes.

After the sessions the fellows spent time with current community partners discussing practical service-learning projects. The projects were designed to address the needs of the community and enhance the academic content of the course.

Faculty fellows teach the course at least one time as a commitment of the fellowship, but the vast majority of VSLC fellows have continued to remain engaged in service-learning at BSC and teach the course semester after semester.

Visit our website for more

information on the VSLC Community

Service Faculty Fellowship.

VSLC Exchange

represented their time together. It was called the Remembrance Project. The objects were then presented to the seniors as gifts.

Dr. Hilarski’s Human Behavior & Social Environment (SWK 308) class spent time at the center doing whatever needed to be done. At any time, they might be found participating in a shuffleboard game, washing pots in the kitchen, cleaning the supply closet, playing the dice game, serving at St. Joseph’s Table, or just having conversations. At the end of their service, they presented CEM with a binder of useful resources for individuals chal-lenged by grief. CEM has already used it many times.

Many of the students mentioned how inspired they were by the seniors. The adventures they had in their lives, and the

Concerned Ecumenical Ministry (CEM) is a non-profit collaborative of faith-based organizations that provide services for the people of the upper west side of Buffalo. They operate Loaves and Fishes Dining Room, the STAR Afterschool Program, the Potters Pantry, and various services for senior citizens including the CEM Senior Center.

The CEM Senior Center formed a unique partnership with Buffalo State College this spring. Students from Dr. Phyllis Thompson’s and Dr. Carolyn Hilarski’s service-learning classes went to the center and completed projects with the seniors.

Dr. Thompson’s Essentials of Visual Arts (AED 100) class were paired with seniors. They had conversations, shared experiences, and told life stories. The students then created art projects that

Buffalo State College Celebrates Earth Day 2007 By Susannah White

Service-Learning Feature: Concerned Ecumenical Ministry By Susannah White

Page 2 VSLC Exchange

this experience changed how many felt about aging.

The seniors miss the students. Every week, someone asks when the students will be coming back. When asked what they liked best about having students visit, the seniors’ answers varied. Some liked to have someone new to talk to, while others appreciated that the young people were willing to do physical things that were beyond their own abilities. Many expressed surprise that the students would want to spend time with them.

After the projects ended, some students still visited to spend time with the seniors. CEM looks forward to partnering with the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center in the future.

Many students were surprised to see so much wildlife (some too wild) just beyond their dorm windows. The sightings included lizards, turtles, fish, a wild turkey, a great blue heron, groundhogs, rabbits, kingfishers and an egret. Apparently, the lizard looked just like a stick, until it moved. It had eyes!

Group work is always inspiring, and the beauty of a project such as this is that there is immediate improvement. The volunteers left in their wake a much more pastoral landscape, and they know that their presence made a difference.

The VSLC partnered with the BSC Evergreen Committee, ReTree Buffalo, the Olmstead Parks Conservancy and Buffalo Riverkeeper on April 21, 2007 to repair and replenish the trees that were damaged in the October storm. Seventy five students, faculty, and friends volunteered on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Two work crews set out. One went to Delaware Park for tree planting and clean-up, and the second walked to Scajaquada Creek to clean up debris. Volunteers worked through the morning, with many staying to work well into the afternoon.

The Delaware Park group learned how to plant a tree, and their attention was reverential. They learned the proper names for the trees and tools, as well as the names of some wildflowers in the area. A surprise snake sighting made some group members search for more snakes, while others tried to avoid any additional contact. The group found that they were stronger and more energetic than they thought, planting many more trees than expected.

On Scajaquada Creek, 33 shopping carts were pulled from the water, as well as 5 bicycles and a motorcycle. The amount of garbage bagged seemed endless! The group was dedicated to making an impact.

Spring 2007 Celebration of Service

Page 3 VSLC Exchange

Dr. Frederick C. Howe Outstanding

Student Volunteer Award:

Christina Surdi

Outstanding Student Academic

Achievement in a Service-Learning

Course:

Trina Fowler

SWK 424W Interventive Methods III

Outstanding Service-Learning Course:

SOC 486 Practicum in Applied Sociology

Outstanding Student Community Service

in a Service-Learning Course: 14 Hours or

Less:

Tyler Kelley

HTR 300 Food and Beverage

Management

The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center would like to acknowledge all students, faculty and community partners who

participated in the spring 2007 service-learning activities. This year’s award winners include:

Save the Date!

Fall 2007

Celebration of Service

December 4, 2007

12:15– 1:30pm

Burchfield-Penney Art Center

North Gallery

Refreshments will be served

Outstanding Student Community Service in a

Service-Learning Course: 15 Hours or More:

Lashaundria Coleman

SOC 486 Practicum in Applied Sociology

Outstanding Service-Learning Commu-

nity Partner:

Loaves and Fishes Dining Hall

Anne Harrington, Program Coordinator

Outstanding Faculty Commitment to Service-

Learning:

Dr. Elizabethe Kelley

ENG 354W Multi-Ethnic American

Literature

Congratulations to this year’s

awardees!

The 12th Annual Buffalo State College Community Service Day

The Volunteer & Service-Learning Center

partnered with the city of Buffalo Division

of Citizen Services, Councilman

Golombek, Buffalo Lives, and Keep

Western New York Beautiful for the 12th

annual Buffalo State College Community

Service Day, on October 20, 2007.

Despite heavy rains, over 250 volunteers

from Buffalo State College and the com-

munity worked on eleven sites throughout

the city. They helped to rebuild play-

grounds, plant community gardens, and

clean-up area parks. Thank you to all that

volunteered!

Snapshots of Service-Learning

Page 4 VSLC Exchange

Art Education students from AED 100 spent time with seniors at the CEM

Senior Center for the Remembrance Project, they created an art piece that

represented their time together.

Educational Foundation students from BME 303 conducted job

readiness workshops on campus for area youth and young adults.

Erie County Legislator, 6th district, Maria Whyte praises service-learning

participants during the spring 2007 Celebration of Service.

Creative Studies students from CRS 304 facilitated problem solving and

brainstorming sessions with youth at the Asarese-Matters Community

Center.

Design students from DES 389 presented design plans for interior spaces

at the Asarese-Matters Community Center.

Service-Learning: Perspectives

A Faculty Perspective

Lori L. Till, Ed.D.

Associate Professor, Hospitality and Tourism

The passage of the 1990 federal legislation, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), prohibits all employers from discriminating against a “qualified individual with a disability” with regard to gainful employment. The National Organization on Disability estimates that 54 million or 20% of the employable workforce has some form of a disability, and the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities estimates the disabled population’s disposable income is $176 billion.

Since the passage of ADA, I have incorporated Title I Employment into several of my courses required of students who major in Hospitality Administration since graduates of the program are often employed in positions that impact the hiring decisions of perspective candidates. In 1992, I began exploring ways in which I could expose my students to not only the law, but to the population which would ultimately benefit from such powerful legislation.

For over an 11-year period, my HTR-380 Advanced Training for Hospitality course has exposed students to the subject matter of hiring consumers with disabilities through an array of lecturers, supportive employment program representative and job coach presentations, as well as the production of 4 DVD’s (with the assis-tance of the BSC Instructional Resources department), which focused on the subject of hiring consumers with disabilities.

HOWEVER, there was still SOMETHING MISSING! Most of my students had never interacted with an individual with a disability over the course of their lifetime. I discovered this through short in-class surveys that were collected each time I first introduced the topic of ADA Title I Employment into my course.

In 2003, Buffalo State College received a sizeable grant with the goal to incorporate service- learning (SL) into academic curriculum. A call for proposals went out to faculty who would be interested in incorporating SL into their courses. This was the opportunity I was looking for that would hopefully fill in the critical gap that was missing for my students. The main goal of my proposal was to offer opportunities to hospitality majors to work side-by-side with consumers with disabilities in order to gain an understanding and sensitivity to a population they could employ in the future. I was one of the first eleven service-learning faculty fellowship recipients. Each semester, an orientation is organized and presented by the Volunteer and Service-learning Center (VSLC) staff which creates the framework for my students’ valuable experience. The VSLC staff provides faculty with support needed to successfully incorporate this methodology into their courses.

I would not be writing this article if it were not for the continual assistance I have received from the VSLC office and staff to include: logistics such as student-site scheduling; communications between community partners and the college; and the coordination and evaluation of the student service-learning effort.

To date, my HTR-380 Advanced Training for Hospitality course has three partners: The Statler Center for Careers in Hospitality Services; College Based Transition Program – BSC and Buffalo Public Schools and People, Inc.; and Baker Victory Way Program. This fall 2007 we will be adding the Community Active People Program, People, Inc to our service-learning options.

Hospitality students have encountered a variety of experiences when being partnered with consumers with disabilities over the past eight semesters. Reading with and assisting in instruction, note taking, computer assistance, tutoring and socializing are only a small sample of the activities my students have shared with their

assigned consumer in order to gain a greater understanding of “others who are different.” As a result of their service-learning experience, students have indicated that significant soft skills have been developed to include patience, time management, communi-cation, and leadership skills. On several occasions, students have secured employment at the close of their experience.

Students have viewed service-learning as a great learning tool and felt that this was a rewarding experience. Overwhelmingly, hospitality students recommend that service-learning remain a component of the HTR-380 Advanced Training for Hospitality course.

Hospitality Students Community Impact Since Fall 2003

8 semesters of continual service-learning participation

All Hospitality Administration majors will graduate with the imprint of volunteer and service-learning since its incorporated into a required major course

Over 250 Hospitality Administration majors have participated in service-learning

Students are required to complete 10 hours of service-learning, many students complete more

Over 2,880 hours of volunteer and service learning has been documented

Fall 2007- two sections of HTR-380 Advanced Training for Hospitality will be offered with a total of 60 students participating in service-learning. Each semester, the VSLC office hosts an uplifting “Celebration of Service” event to celebrate Buffalo State College’s efforts in the volunteer and service-learning movement. At this event, community partners, students and faculty are also recognized for their outstanding commitment to service-learning. To date, two of my community partners and one of my students have received awards for outstanding service-learning commitment, and I was also very happy to be recognized for outstanding faculty commitment to service-learning in December 2005.

Page 5 VSLC Exchange

“ Service-Learning was the opportunity I was looking for that would hopefully fill in the critical gap that was missing for my students.”

Service-Learning: Perspectives cont’d

A Student’s Perspective

By Sarah H. Smith BSC Graduate, May 2007

As a recent graduate, I understand how crucial service-learning was to my undergraduate education. Without the experiences from this program, my degree would be lacking something integral. Timely exposure to the empirical would have been missing from my studies.

When I look at my binders full of notes and articles from classes at Buffalo State College, I can see that it was practical experience that helped me to further develop my own reflections on the course material. Throughout my studies, not only did I learn about the sociology of things like homeownership and redlining, community collaboration and gentrification, youth and public administration; I also learned a great deal about myself. I learned how ignorant I was, and still am in many ways, about all of these realities.

Service-learning offered me a real-life confrontation with complicated social problems that impact life in an urban community. This fueled me to pursue a special project at the Asarese-Matters Community Center. These experiences helped me to develop a strong interest in pursuing graduate studies that focus on public policies regarding youth in economically deprived urban communities.

I linked my service-learning experience to the course materials in a paper and this later led to an award. That award led to an opportunity to be a student representative on the VSLC awards selection committee. Service on that committee gave me an opportunity to learn about the great things that many other Buffalo State College students were achieving and contributing through service-learning.

As much as I value the contribution service-learning has lent to my success academically, I value even more the resulting feeling of connection to my school and to my community. There is a sense of empowerment in that connection as well as a sense of responsibility. Both are amazing things that I truly believe students want and need. I think that most students find service- learning necessary to successes in college that will carry over throughout their entire lives.

VSLC Exchange Page 6

Buffalo State College Students Serving the Community

A Community Partner’s Perspective

By Carmaletta Morlock-Zandi Executive Director, The Morlock Foundation

As the mother of a child born with heart disease, I struggled with having the financing to cover his fourth open heart surgery. As I tried to make sense of being overwhelmed, I realized that we could not be the only family going through this. After researching child-hood diseases in Buffalo and Western New York, I discovered that there was a great need for families like ours. Even in my own community, people were suffering. Committed to making a positive impact in this area, I have made it my mission to create change for families that are falling between the cracks.

In the fall of 2001, I started writing a business plan to start an organziation that would help families in our community. Now, as the Executive Director of The Morlock Foundation I have seen our organization help change people’s lives and give them an outlook they could not see when they were overwhelmed. The Morlock Foundation is located in downtown Buffalo and serves families throughout Western New York.

In the fall of 2006, I had the opportunity to work with three students enrolled in COM 308 Public Relations Writing, a service-learning class. The service-learning students at The Morlock Foundation were able to provide feedback necessary to assist in aligning our programs to the needs of the people we serve, and to give the community a better look at what we were doing. The students learned about The Morlock Foundation as well as the impact and importance of our service, and were able to put that knowledge to work understanding their curriculum.

Student involvement in service-learning produces valuable benefits for local communities, enabling young people to become proactive members of society. Students’ service-learning experiences help them understand community needs through collaboration with community partners and faculty members. Along with the assistance of the Buffalo State College’s service-learning program, we can make a commitment to providing resources and programming that will allow people in Buffalo the opportunity to rise above adversity, tap into their own inner resources, and make a constructive difference in their community while helping the community become stronger.

Page 7 VSLC Exchange

VSLC Bulletin Board

Faculty Announcements

You don’t have to be VSLC Fellow to incorporate

service-learning in your classes. The VSLC staff will

gladly assist any faculty member interested in using the

service-learning pedagogy. Please visit the VSLC

website, www.buffalostate.edu/offices/cdc/vslc or

contact Laura Hill Rao, VSLC Coordinator (878-5811,

HillLA@buffalostate.edu), or Dr. Gary Welborn,

Associate Professor, Sociology and Faculty

Coordinator for the VSLC (878-6428,

welborgs@buffalostate.edu) for more information. We

would be happy to meet with you and discuss your

ideas!

If you are already utilizing service-learning in your

classes and want to be included in the VSLC

service-learning course list, and receive VSLC

services, LET US KNOW!

Student Announcements

The Career Development Center has an online

forum and blog

CAREER SHARE

FORUM:

Join the CDC’s message board to discuss your career

questions, experiences, and concerns

Go to www.buffalostate.edu/offices/cdc/forum

Register today!

AND

BLOG:

Get a Glimpse of service-learning at Buffalo State College

Check out the service-learning blog

Read a weekly on-line account of one student’s

experience in a service-learning course

Go to http://blog.buffalostate.edu/

Interested in blogging about your service-learning

or volunteer experience?

Contact Laura Hill Rao at (716) 878-5811

Students, Want to Get Involved?

The following are sample volunteer opportunities posted

on ORCA. Please visit www.buffalostate.edu/offices/

cdc/vslc to view these and more.

Compeer of Greater Buffalo

Position: Friend/Mentor, give one hour of your time

each week and make a friend you will never forget.

Contact: Sarah Stimm,

Director, Adult and Senior Services

Phone: (716) 883-3331

Journey’s End Refugee Services, Inc

Position: Donations Assembler, assemble care packages

for area refugee families.

Contact: Elaine Smyth–Bogumil, Volunteer Coordinator

Email: ebogumil@jerswny.org

Phone: (716) 882-4963 Ext. 12

Community Partner Announcements

Do you have a volunteer opportunity to share with

Buffalo State College students? The VSLC posts all

volunteer opportunities for students using the Career

Development Center’s, Online Resource for Career

Advancement (ORCA).

To list your opportunity easily and quickly, simply login

to ORCA as an employer through the VSLC website,

www.buffalostate.edu/offices/cdc/vslc. Click on

"Add/Review/Edit postings". If you are new to ORCA,

you can request a username and password by filling out

the Employer Request Form available on the site. Or, if

you prefer, you can email or fax the position to the

VSLC and we will post it for you on ORCA.

Thank you for considering a Buffalo State College

student!

Page 8 VSLC Exchange

VSLC Bulletin Board Service-Learning Classes Fall 2007

Course Title Instructor Community Partner(s) Description

Art Education

AED200 Fundamentals of Art Inquiry

Thompson, Phyllis Albright-Knox, CEPA, School 30

Students will gain a knowledge of contemporary art and artists including exposure to art galleries, community arts organizations, and art facilities for children while providing assistance with arts

Business

BUS 327 Advertising Con-cepts & Practices

McFarland, Diane Various Students develop a marketing and advertising plan(s) for organizations on the west side.

Communication

COM308W Public Relations Writing

COM301 Public Relations and Advertising

Silverman, Deborah

BN Riverkeeper, Morlock Foun-dation Jericho Rd, Red Cross, 1st Hand Learning, JERS, Squeaky Wheel

Students will develop PR materials for partner agencies. Students will be required to present to agencies their finalized projects.

COM405 News Reporting

COM 319 News Editing

Marren, Joseph Various

Students will engage in news-gathering and writing news stories for an online site at a partner agency.

Students will assist partner agencies with editing news articles and final newsletter drafts.

COM 439 Directing/ Producing for Video

Knowles, Meg WSCC,WSNHS, Journey’s End, Theater or Youth

Students will produce and direct short documentaries on important issues on the West Side.

Creative Studies

CRS 610 Adv Creative Problem Solving

Cabra, John Bflo Comm. Center Collabora-tive, Micro Biz, UCC

Students will work with community agencies on recurring problems, or issues that need new and creative thinking.

CRS 303 Creative Leader-ship

Yuduss, Jo Asarese-Matters Community Center

Students will organize and implement an event to benefit the Center.

Elementary Education & Reading

EDU310W Teaching Social Studies to Students

Bailey, Mary C. First Presbyterian Church Students will work with elementary students on assessment of needs, ESL, and tutoring.

EDU 329 Instructing Young Children

McLeish, Wendy BPS 90, Bflo Museum of Science

TBD

EDU211 Intro to Literacy Instruction

Sacks, Harriet School #30 Students complete 10 hours of literacy tutoring for elementary grade students.

English

ENG354 Multi-Ethnic American Literature

Kelley, Elizabethe Various Students will read historical novels and then create a community service project that reflects their reading.

Page 9 VSLC Exchange

VSLC Bulletin Board Service-Learning Classes Fall 2007

Course Title Instructor Community Partner(s) Description

Exceptional Education

EXE 245 Community Services Baum, Bruce Various Students are required to provide community services to people with disabilities.

Geography and Planning

PLN 412 Community Planning Mix, Wende Buffalo Niagara River Keeper, Good Neighbors Partnership Alliance

Students assist community partners with GIS and planning projects.

History & Social Studies

SSE 605 Teaching with Historic Places

Gradwell, Jill Darwin-Marin House Students will develop historical education materials for docents and the organization itself.

HIS379 Museum & Civic Engagement

Cinquino, David Bflo Historical Society, Science Spot, Olmstead Parks Conservancy, Studio Arena Theater, Buffalo Zoo

Students will complete service-learning projects for WNY museums and cultural institutions.

Hospitality and Tourism

HTR 300 Food & Beverage Management

Burgeson, Steve Loaves & Fishes Dining Hall, Gilda’s Club of WNY

Students are organizing food and beverage service for special events in the community.

HTR 380 Training for Hospitality

Till, Lori CBTP, Baker Victory, Statler Center, YALT, CAPP

Students tutor and mentor individuals with disabilities.

Mathematics

MAT 121 Elem Math Adv STP 1

Magner, Jody BPS 36, BPS 19 Students will do math tutoring with children in an after-school program.

Social Work

SWK 319 Dynamics of Poverty Aviles, Christopher

Various Students complete 20 hours of service with an agency of their choosing which serves the poor.

Sociology

SOC 486 Sociology Practicum Welborn, Gary WSCC, Grant/Ferry Assoc, Asarese Matters Rec Center, Loaves& Fishes

The Story Book project was developed by the West Side Community Collaborative to show the rich cultural diversity of the area, the positive quality of life that exists, and point out the countless hours of volunteer efforts that residents put into community building. Students are conducting interviews of residents, gathering information, and involving youth in the creation of the storybook.

SOC 100 Intro to Sociology Grabiner, Virginia

Loaves & Fishes, Response to Love

Students complete 10 hours of service assisting with programming at local agencies.

Student Personnel Administration

CSP 650 Student Assessment Testing

CSP 689 Methods & Tech of Educational Research

Herdlein, Richard

Belle Center, BSC Newman Center, CBTP, VSLC

Graduate Students are conducting needs, learning outcomes, and program assessment for agencies.

University College

BSC 101 Justice for All Koritz, Doug 1st Presbyterian., 1st Methodist., St. Adalbert’s

Students will be working with children from refugee populations, providing tutoring, recreation, and socialization.

Page 10 VSLC Exchange

Volunteer and Service-Learning Center

Buffalo State College

GC 306, 1300 Elmwood Avenue

Buffalo, New York 14222

Stop by or contact us!

Email: VSLC@buffalostate.edu

Call: (716) 878-5811

The VSLC Exchange will be a regular publication of

the Buffalo State College Volunteer and Service-

Learning Center, keeping the campus and community

informed!

Editor/Contributor

Laura Hill Rao

&

Josephine Zagarella

Contributor

Susannah White

Giving Big...

Gaining Big…

Learn through Serving!

Meet the VSLC Staff Mission Statement

The Buffalo State College Volunteer and Service-Learning Center (VSLC) leads efforts to create

a civically-engaged campus and enhance the ability of local agencies and schools to meet the

needs of community residents. The VSLC integrates service with learning in academic

disciplines across campus to enhance the educational success of students, and incorporates

volunteerism into activities that unite the campus and community, contributing to student

development.

Goals

To achieve this mission, the VSLC strives to accomplish the following goals:

Foster students’ civic responsibility and appreciation for diversity while enhancing

their personal, career, and academic development by supporting students involved in

service-learning and community service.

Connect students with volunteer opportunities in the community.

Encourage and assist faculty members interested in developing service-learning

courses, community-based research, and other community learning connections.

Initiate and expand partnerships between Buffalo State College students, faculty, staff,

and community-based organizations. VSLC staff, left to right: Meghan Harmon, Susannah

White, David LaFalce, Josephine Zagarella, and

Laura Hill Rao