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What Is Service Learning?
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UMM Home > Service Learning > Community Partners

What is Service Learning?

Service-Learning is a classroom experience that utilizes community service, community-based research, or other civic engagement activities along with regular reflection to meet course goals and community needs. In the 2006-2007 academic year, more than 400 students participated in projects initiated by and developed with community agencies.

Community Partners assist service-learning staff in identifying community needs and developing useful, mutually beneficial projects. Community Partners also work with students to help them understand community and agency challenges, complete assigned tasks, and reflect on their experience. Service-learning classes are offered in the five focus areas described below. A lead partner from each initiative provides ongoing support to service-learning staff by identifying new community needs and potential partners, and by serving on the program’s advisory board.

A few “sample courses” are described under each initiative. Between 5-15 service-learning courses are offered each semester. The service-learning staff continually work with partners to plan and implement new course offerings and projects.

Arts and Culture

Mission: To increase arts and culture opportunities in West Central Minnesota and enhance UMM students’ involvement in arts and culture.

Lead Community Partner:Athena Kildegaard, Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance

Additional partners have included: Stevens County Historical Society, Sodexo, Salvation Army, MAES, Chokio-Alberta Elementary School, and local farmers

SAMPLE COURSES:

ArtS: Media Studies: Mural Project and Public Art
Fall 2005 Michael Eble
Students will create two murals: one celebrating UMM's Local Foods initiative, to be housed in the Food Service Building on campus and unveiled at this year's Local Foods Meal and Expo, and one that celebrates our community's history and assets, to be housed at the Salvation Army.

ArtS 2401 and 3400: Beginning and Advanced Sculpture
Fall 2005 Therese Buchmiller
In collaboration with a broad range of community members and agencies, students will create a public art piece and plan an event to promote more involvement in the Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance.

Hist 3456: History of Religion – Ongoing course
Stephen Gross
Students study the history of religion in America while looking closely at how religion impacts the individual lives of Morris residents. Students conduct oral history interviews with community members and host a forum to discuss religious diversity in Morris.

Elder Partnerships

Mission:
To increase intergenerational activities for elders in West Central Minnesota and enhance UMM students’ understanding of elders’ contributions to our community.

Lead Community Partner: Julie Bruns, West Wind Village

Additional partners include: Grandview Apartments, the Morris Senior Center, Skyview Court, and individual elders.

SAMPLE COURSES:

Eng 1011: College Writing – Ongoing course
Argie Manolis
Students research topics related to the social, political, and cultural aspects of aging while learning basic writing skills. Students also plan and implement weekly therapeutic activities for residents at a local nursing home.

Psy 3404: Adulthood, Aging and Death
Jacqueline Greenwood
While studying the psychology of aging, students and elders from the community discuss challenges faced by the elderly community in Morris. Together, the group plans a project that both students and elders can participate in related to the issues they have discussed.

Sustainable Living

Photo by Nicholas Jacobs, Student in Therese Buchmiller's Intro To Photography Fall 04. Photo taken at Prairie Horizons Farm Mission: To continue implementing projects and conducting action research related to creating a sustainable community.

Lead Community Partner: Dorothy Rosemeier
West Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership

Additional partners include:
Pride of the Prairie, West Central Research and Outreach Center, Land Stewardship Project, Pomme de Terre Food Coop, PRCA, City of Benson

SAMPLE COURSES:

Soc 1101 Introduction to Sociology – Ongoing Course
Jennifer Rothchild
Students choose from a variety of projects, including two projects related to this initiative. Some students assisted with planning, advertising and staffing a local foods meal, expo and farmer’s market. Others assisted with research for a Morris Area School District committee focusing on nutritional school lunch options, including regional foods.

ArtS 1500 and 2500: Photography
Therese Buchmiller
Students will photograph local farmers on their farms. Photos will be available to farmers for use in promotional pieces and will be made into products available for sale through the PRCA.

CSci 4453 Variable Topics in Computing Systems: Database Systems – Spring 2004
Rob Faux
Students created four databases for the Land Stewardship Project (LSP), an agency dedicated to supporting small farms. The databases will assist farmers in connecting with area consumers and provide LSP staff with new ways to collect data to improve their programs.

Youth Partnerships

Mission: To increase educational and recreational opportunties for youth in West Central Minnesota.

Lead Community Partner: Cheryl Kuhn, Morris Community Education

Additional partners include: St. Mary’s Elementary School, the Morris Area School District, Chokio-Alberta School District and Heartland Girls Ranch in Benson.

SAMPLE COURSES:

Th 2111: Creative Drama with Children – Ongoing course
Siobhan Bremer, Ray Schultz
Students study the techniques and benefits of using drama in K-12 classrooms, and write and lead lesson plans using creative dramatic techniques.

Music 3204: Advanced individual Performance Study - Ongoing Course
UMM students will teach voice lessons to MAHS students, who will perform their individual pieces at the end of the semester.

Span 1002: Beginning Spanish
Beginning Spanish students planned and taught basic Spanish lessons for students at Morris Elementary School.

Phil 2152: Feminist Philosophy – Ongoing course
Pieranna Garavaso
This class studies how gender discrimination and violence affect women, among other topics. Students mentor at-risk teenagers at a nearby youth facility.

Social Responsibility

Mission: To work toward a truly safe and welcoming community in which all people can be successful.

Lead Community Partner: Someplace Safe

Additional Partners have included: UMM Violence Prevention Program, Salvation Army, Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, Morris Area School District

SAMPLE COURSES:

Education 1020: English in the American University - Ongoing Course
Nancy Pederson
Students read about a variety of American social issues and assist with several short-term service projects, including the Local Foods Expo and Meal on campus and making and and serving a meal at the Dorothy Day House of Hospitality in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Spanish 1002 and 3002: Beginning Spanish and Spanish Composition and Conversation - Ongoing Courses
Stacey Aronson, Jacqueline Alvarez
Students work on a variety of projects including ESL tutoring, document translation for area businesses and non-profits, and teaching Spanish in area elementary schools.

Sociology 3141: Sociology of Deviance - Ongoing Course
Jennifer Rothchild
Students assist with event planning and outreach materials for the Violence Prevention Program on campus, Someplace Safe, an agency that educates about and advocates for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, or to assist a local non-profit working on important social issues.

Sociology 1101: Introduction to Sociology - Ongoing Course
Jennifer Rothchild
Students may choose from one of the following projects: writing and implementing intergenerational lesson plans for children and elders through MACCC and West Wind Village; tutoring K-6 students through the TREC program; assisting with domestic violence/sexual assault prevention and education efforts through Someplace Safe; creating educational and/or outreach materials for Habitat for Humanity and Stevens Community Humane Society.

What Should Community Partners Know About Service-Learning?

Service-learning is a reciprocal undertaking. Students work on projects that meet needs identified by agency staff or other community members, and community partners help faculty train students and help students reflect on their work. Service-learning staff work with partners and faculty to finalize schedules, coordinate and lead training activities, and develop reflection activities.

Service-learning requires a great deal of planning. Service-learning staff generally begin planning for fall courses (occurring between August and December) in April and for spring courses (occurring between January and May) in October. Projects are most successful when community partners participate in the planning, implementation, and assessment from beginning to end. Completing a project planning worksheet and regular meetings with service-learning staff will be a part of the commitment—but the outcome is worth the time investment!

Students do service-learning as part of a course. This means they generally spend between 10 and 30 hours on a project over a fifteen week period. Time constraints can be challenging, but students’ work is generally high quality as they are doing the work as part of a course and reflecting on its value throughout the fifteen weeks.

How Can I Get Involved?

Contact service-learning staff to discuss community or agency needs and interests. Staff will work with faculty to determine whether the needs can be addressed through a course. If not, staff will refer potential partners to other UMM resources that might be a better fit for particular projects. Contact Information can be found here.