The Center for Service and Leadership, Have You Heard of It?

Student Engagement is somewhat of an all-encompassing term that means a lot of things to a lot of people, but for many, the profound impact it has on our campus remains unclear. What the Cen­ter for Service and Leadership aims to do is facilitate civic leadership on campus through programs, community engage­ment, and student and faculty collabora­tion. While all clubs and organizations fall under the umbrella of Student In­volvement/Engagement, i.e. the Associ­ated Students of the University of Wash­ington Tacoma (ASUWT), the Student Activities Board (SAB), Student Publica­tions, Volunteer Services, Student Hous­ing, Student Conduct, and the Childcare Assistance Program, this year UWT has plans to expand and grow its culture of service and leadership.

Currently, UWT is launching a Lead­ership Endorsement program which expands that effort to a three tier stepwise program where students are able to com­plete as many tiers as they want. What the program manages to do is build students resumes while preparing them to work in the nonprofit sector as well as other service careers.

Students who complete the silver tier will receive a LEAD certificate which symbolizes their fifty hours of commu­nity service, five mentorship sessions with a UWT Faculty member, five work­shop events, a team project and an e-portfolio. Students who complete the purple tier will receive a certificate for the Community Engagement Leadership Program (CEL). Completion of this tier signifies that the student has completed one orientation, seven workshops or events, seven mentor sessions, 100 ser­vice hours, one midyear retreat, one diversity conference and one reflective e-portfolio. Completion of the highest tier, the gold tier, signifies that the stu­dent has received their LEAD certificate and CEL certificate. Furthermore, stu­dents who reach the gold tier will be given the opportunity to present how they have positively affected their com­munity through these programs. Stu­dents who exemplify the qualities of leadership and sustained positive impact will receive a letter of endorsement from the selection committee recommending them to potential employers as the best UW Tacoma has to offer.

In addition to the three tier Leader­ship Endorsement Program, the Center for Service and Leadership is also work­ing to establish a Peace Corp Prep Pro­gram. This program which would be co-sponsored with International Ser­vices and the Peace Corp, is meant to aid aspiring Peace Corp candidates. The objective is to identify exemplary leaders on campus and provide student with the resources to apply and secure positions in the Peace Corps.

Student Leadership Specialist Paul Prociv co-drafted the proposal for the Center for Service and Leadership. He stressed the need for the new center as it pertains to more than just programs and student engagement. He said, “This is a center for you, the focus should be and always will be on students. But it’s on students and their community. It makes their education relevant beyond a book. Students learn real skills that affect real people, and will liven up their educational experience. In doing so, they can provide great service to their com­munity.”

Prociv made a call to all UWT staff and faculty who are interested in grow­ing not only the Center for Service and Leadership but the greater UWT campus and community.

If you are a student or faculty mem­ber interested in participating in the CSL programs or its development, please contact Paul Prociv at paulpro@uw.edu

Faculty and staff who are interested in serving on a steering committee for the CSL, please visit www.tinyurl.com/CSLinput. General feedback regarding the Center’s programs and development is appreciated as well.