Engaged Scholarship

Engaged Scholarship

service on each campus that is detailed

and specific in definition and scope.
UNC Charlotte faculty conduct The UNC Tomorrow Initiative
further suggests that theresourcesand
a wide range of engaged research
expertise of UNC faculty should be
and participate in a diverse set of
usedtoaddressimportantcommunity
engaged scholarly activities. Faculty
Main Purposerefers
of UNC
CharlotteFaculty
and statewide issues, as well as apply
engagement
to scholarly,
Community
Engagement
Activities
creative,
or pedagogical
activities
for and translate research and scholarship
more directly to broader constituencies
thebroaderpublicgood.Suchactivities
focused on identified needs.v
Professional
(in the form of research, teaching, and/
or service) develop as collaborative
Service
14% to short and
25%that respond
interactions
In 2012, following aproposal fromthe
Public ServiceProvost, the UNC Charlotte
long-term
societal
needs.
Moreimportantly, engaged research Faculty
Council
moved
30%
requires that local knowledge, torevisetheuniversitys
tenure
Research
or
perspectives,
andresources
be
and promotion
31%
CreativeActivit
respected and valued as vital to the guidelines in thecurrentAcademic
production of knowledge and practical
ies Personnel
Teaching
solutions. Scholarshipsproduced as
a ProceduresHandbooktoreflect
result
of
such
collaboration UNCCharlottescommitmentto
Source:
demonstrates
and expands current communityengagedscholarship,teachin
knowledge of the discipline, invites g, and public service.Thisnewlanguage
peer collaboration and review, is open nowallowscommunity-basedresearch
tocritique,andisaccessible.
conducted withlocalpartnersto qualify
as scholarship fortenureandpromotion
1
The UNC Tomorrow Initiative purposes attheinstitutionallevel. This
encourages UNC institutions to philosophicalshiftbringscommunitypractices solely
be leaders in developing stronger engaged
partnerships with the community out of the realm ofs e r v i c e ,and
outside the institution by developing allows the universitytobetterrecognize
theseinvaluablecommunitypartnership
a strategic plan for scholarly public
s.
The
documentdraftedby
the
FacultyEmploymentStatusCommittee
and
presented
to the Faculty Council
highlighted UNC Charlottes
history of noteworthy public
outreach and sought to
clarify
what
community
engagement means. Section
VI.C of the handbook now
explicitly defines community
engagement as research/
creative activities, teaching,
and service activities that are
collaboratively
undertaken
by faculty members with
1

processes that exemplify reciprocity in

partnerships and public purposes (see
text emphasized in bold italics in Box
).
community partners, staff,
and/or
students through

Engaged Scholarship
In revising the language regarding
community engagement, Faculty
Council was careful to protect the
high-quality standard of research
conducted by faculty, while allowing
for the consideration of community
engagement as an innovative
approach
to
scholarship
and
knowledge production. The language
is also broad enough to preserve the
academic freedom of each college to
recognize
discipline-specific
approaches
to
community
engagement. The Handbook now

states that although the spectrum of

engaged
scholarship
andactivitiesvariesamongdisciplines,
engagementisplannedandcarriedout
by
University
and
communitypartners, andincludes:
Engagedscholarship:Scholarlyeffort
s to expand multifaceted intellectual
endeavor with commitment to public
practices and publicconsequences.

Engaged activities: Artistic, critical,

scientific and humanistic work that
influences, enriches and improves the
livesofpeopleinthecommunity.X

The new language draws a distinction

between community engagement that
would qualify as service and facultyinvolved research with the community
as a partner. Community Engagement
and Public Service (often referred toas
outreach) are often conflated because
both approaches may occur in the
community and include activities that
involve or serve community entities.
Whilethelatterdescribesactivitiesthat
are provided to, intended for, or done
in communities, the former describes

qualify,notonlyasservice,butasanyof
the three categories for promotion and
tenure including research and teaching
depending on the nature ofwork.

activities that are undertaken with

community members in a context of
reciprocal partnership. Rather than
activity or place, the key distinction
between community engagement and
community service can be determined
bytheprocessesandpurposesthateach
emphasizes.xi

Daniel Hurley, director of state relations

and
policy
analysis
at
the
AmericanAssociationofStateColleges
and Universities (AASCU),commends
these actions taken at UNC Charlotte
stating,Itmakesatremendousamount of
common sense, and reaffirms the
public mission of these public
institutions by serving regional public
needs.xi

Provost Joan Lorden asserts that

explicitly
including
community
engagement wording in tenure and
promotion
guidelines
articulates
the value the University places on
engagement, and makes the important
work that faculty are doing with
community partners more visible.
Community engagement can now

If deliberate and inclusive language in

UNC Charlottes tenure and promotion
policy
reflects
the
outstanding
engagement that thework faculty are
already doing, the UNC System
Community Engagement and Economic
Development Metrics are a system-wide
approach to capturing and analyzing
6

information on the community

engagement activities of faculty, staff,
and students at colleges

and universities across the state.

communities, and strengthen and

support UNCs capacity to be strategic,
proactive,
and
responsive
in
developing,
maintaining,
and
celebrating
mutually
beneficial
community-university
connections
andpartnerships.

In May 2012, UNC President Tom

Ross commissioned two
multi- campus taskforces to
develop concise sets of indicators, or
metrics, that all UNC campuses
could use to assess progress in
The pilot process gathered information
community
engagement
and
As required
by Section
3.1 of the
on community
engagement
inresearch,
3
economic
development .
The
course offerings, service- learning, and
development
of
systemoutreachactivitiesaswellasthenumber
wideindicators
of community members participating
arethefirststeptobuildingthecapacity
in campus events that occurred during
of General Administration, as well as
Community engagement refers tocampuses
research/creative
activities,
teaching,andserviceactivities
the2011-2012academicyear.
individually, to understand
the full scope and impact of UNCs
During the pilot phase, twenty-nine
engagement in and with the state of
faculty and staff from ten colleges and
North Carolina. Awareness of
units on campus provided information
thetypes of and extent of activities
on their community engagement
serves as the first step towards being
projects. The faculty memberreporting
better able to convey and strengthen
the project can list more than one
the UNCs reputation as a
purpose.Ofthe29projectsreported,18
collaborative,inclusive, responsible,
projectswerefocusedonpublicservice,
and
effective member of
18projectswerefocusedonresearchor
North Carolina
creativeactivities,and15projectswere

focused on teaching. Eight projects

identified professional service as the
primary purpose. Tables 1 and 2further
categorize the primary forms and foci
of community engagement activities
and projects as reported by faculty
members, depicting a diverse range of
projects.
Of the twenty-nine UNC Charlotte
projects outlined in Metric Three of
theUNC
System
Community
Engagement
and
Economic
Development Metrics, a majority of
the projects specifically incorporated
student engagement.
Figure
represents the nature of student
engagement in the reported projects.
Community engagement projects
provided platforms for student
involvement in research and volunteer
opportunities.
Service-Learning
Numerous studies highlight the
benefitsofcommunityengagementand
service-learning, as pedagogical and
co-curricular
approaches
to
a
studentssuccess, ...--literature
The UNC system collects data on
the number of students enrolled in
community-engaged and communitybased
courses
and
academic
learning experiences. UNC General
Administration differentiates between
community-engaged and communitybasedlearning.
Community-engaged learning involves
collaboration between institutions
of higher education and their larger
communities (local, regional/state,
national, global) for the mutually
beneficial exchange of knowledge and
resources in a context partnership and
reciprocity2. In contrast, community-

based learning is defined more broadly

as taking place in the community or
with a community partner.
At UNC Charlotte, community
centered coursework is required in a
number of undergraduate majors,
including
education,
nursing,
social work, sociology, gerontology,
community planning, and architecture.
Field-based learning and internships
arewidespread.
According to data collected by UNC
Charlottes Office of Institutional
Research, 5,163 students (8.33% of
the student population) were enrolled
in courses offering community-based
academic learning during the 201112 academic year while 2,445 students
(3.95% of the student population)
were enrolled in community-engaged
courses during the same period.
Community service and engagement
are core elements of the 57 freshman
seminars and 16 learning communities
scheduled for 2011-12. The University
Honors Program and a number of
undergraduate programs and courses
of study have community involvement
and
public
service activities
embedded within
the curriculum.
Service-learning
is a common form
of course- based
community
engagement
for
UNC
Charlotte
students.
The
National ServiceL e a r n i n g
Clearinghouse
defines servicelearning
as
a

Source:

teaching and learning strategy that

integrates meaningful community
service with instruction and reflection
to enrich the learning experience,teach
civic responsibility, and strengthen
communities.
In March 2011, the UNC Charlotte
Faculty
Council
unanimously
approveda new service-learning course
designation and encouraged faculty to
integrate service-learning principles
into their courses. This was passed to
both encourage faculty with current
courses to apply for service-learning
designation and also to grow the
number of new courses. The servicelearning course content may include
the following goals: i) to discover and
address needs within the community
collaboratively
with
community
partners, ii) to develop lasting,
reciprocal
relationships
in
the
community, iii) to improve skills for
criticalandcomparativethinking,iv)to
promote values clarification, v) tolearn
practicalaspectsofcommunityservice,
volunteerism, and social change, vi) to
relate community serviceexperiences

tocareergoals,andvii)tohelpdevelopa
Students completing service-learning
life-longcommitmenttoself-reflection,
or other community organizationCriteria
for Service-Learning
Courses
and its implications for community based 49ership
requirements
received
courseservice
content
should
include the scholarly exploration of the concepts of citizenship, public or community serv
and
socialresponsibility.Prior
recognition on their transcripts. In
to the implementation of university- 2011-2012, 18 service-learningcourses
the course
provide
opportunity
for reflection, learning, discovery, understanding,intellectual
wide must
standards,
somean faculty
and provided
opportunities for students to
challenge,
and skill development via direct, practical, hands-on experience;
departments were unaware of service engage
in service-oriented 49erships,
learning opportunities, while others internships with community-based
a significant
of the learning
course activity should be devotedto some form of service to the campus or com
offered percentage
courses with service
service and outreach organizations and
pedagogy, but did not realize they public service agencies. 49ershipsglobal);
are
could be designated as service- open to students in all seven colleges.
a substantial
of the
learning part
classes.
The course
actions gradewillinvolvereflectiononthe
of the Students
participating
in
the
experience.
Faculty Council have provided university-wide 49ershipservice
Service
enhanced recognition and interest in Learning Program have three specific
service learningcurriculum.
learning objectives which they discuss
with their organizational supervisor
In 2011-12, 17 courses in 13 and career advisor on campus. These
departments or programs in five include:
collegesofferedcourseswithaservicei) tolearn about the social issues and
learning distinction. Approximately how they
are
handled by the
2,104 students were enrolled in these agency/organization;
courses. In 2012-2013, 646 coursesin
ii) topromote community awareness
41 departments carried the serviceof social issues; and,
learning distinction; a dramatic
increase in interest and visibility of iii) tolearn how my skills and abilities
relate to this career. Participating
service-learning courses.
students engage in reflection and
evaluation at the end of thesemester.

Courses

2008
Applicat
ion
2,5
37
525

Faculty

194

233

38

41

Students

Departments

20122013
3,139
646

Percen
t
Chang
24.0
%
23.0
%
21.3
%
7.9
%

2012-2013 Service-Learning
Data Based on
Undergraduate FTE
# of Service% of Total
Courses
Learning
Courses

646

6.3%

#ofDepts.Represent
edby ServiceLearningCourses

% of Total
Depts.

4
1
# of Faculty

Teaching ServiceLearning Courses

85.0%
% of Total
Faculty

233

13.6%

#ofStudentsParticip
ating in ServiceLearning Courses

% of Total
Students

3,139

10.3%

Source: UNC Charlotte InstitutionalResearch

Professional Development
Across campus, there are a variety of
programs that offer support for
community-centered courses and
program development, research, and
outreach activities. The university
offers Scholarship of
Teaching
and Learning (SoTL) grants and
Chancellors Diversity Challenge Fund
grants for faculty that can be used to
design and implement community
engagement programs and courses,
the depth and breadth of professional
development options for faculty, staff,
and administrators has become more
intentionally focused on community
engagement.
Service-Learning Showcase
In Fall 2011, an interdisciplinarygroup
ofUNCCharlottefacultyorganizedthe
first annual service-learning showcase
on campus. The three-hour event
began with a panel of faculty from the
Colleges of Liberal Arts & Sciences,
HealthandHumanServices,Education,
and Computing and Informatics
discussing their various approaches to
and experiences with service-learning.
Audience members asked questions
about applying for the service-

learning course designation, solicited

advice on how to overcome servicelearning challenges, and exchanged
best practices on how to develop
strong community partnerships. An
interactive poster session followed the
panel; faculty, students, and campus
groups shared information regarding
their specific service-learning projects
on campus. Another showcase is
scheduled for Spring 2014.
Center for Teaching and Learning
The UNC Charlotte Center for
Teaching and Learning (CTL) provides
pedagogical assistance for faculty.
Faculty seeking counsel on creating a
service-learning course can utilize the
CTL. The CTL also offers an online
service-learning resource library. The
universitys increased support for and
attention to service-learning courses
and course designation (see section
II.A.1.a) paved the way for a faculty
member specializing in servicelearning to serve as a CTL fellow,
beginning in 2013. In this position, the
faculty fellow has been giving
workshops and consulting on how to
incorporate service-learning into
individualcourses.

Campus Compact
The Campus Compact group on
campusiscomprisedoffacultyandstaff
from a wide variety of departmentsand
offices. The group meets once a month
to develop strategies that deepen
community engaged practices among
faculty,students,andstaff.
Each year, a team from UNC Charlotte
attend the Civic Engagement Institute
andPACE(PathwaystoAchievingCivic
Engagement) conferences sponsored
by North Carolina Campus Compact.
Travel funding is fully supported. The
goals of both conferences include
involving university and community
members in discussions ofthe best
practices and theories related to
community engagement, soliciting
institutional
support,
identifying
challenges, negotiating barriers, and
highlighting research and practice on
relatedtopics.

Student-Focused Community Engagement

SPOTLIGHT: UNC Charlottes Food Security Initiatives

Stop Hunger Now
StopHungerNowisaninternationalhungerreliefagencydesignedtoendhunger
aroundtheglobe.InApril2012,UNCCharlottestudents,facultyandstaffjoined the
cause and campaigned to raise more than $3,000. The funding was used to
purchase and package high-protein meals with rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables,
and a flavoring mix with 23 essential vitamins and nutrients. Throughcontinued
efforts,UNCCharlottehasprovidedmorethan13,000mealsforcrisis-burdened
areasschoolfeedingprogramsinHaiti,Kenya,ElSalvador,LiberiaandNicaragua.

Food Recycling Program

The Food Recycling Program was established in 1991 by University Honors
Program students. Student volunteers collect food that has been cooked, but not
yet served from campus cafeterias. Students then deliver the food to Charlottes
Urban Ministries Center and The Center for Hope Womens Shelter. In 2013-14
volunteers collected and delivered more than 2,100 pounds of food. Every year,
theprogramcontinuestogainawarenessandsupport.UNCCharlottealsoplans
to
partner with Johnson and Wales to expand outreachefforts

UNC Charlotte Community Garden

In 2014, Levine Scholars Jake Emerson, Kevin Rodengen, and Chloe Rodengen
created a community garden as a platform for sustainability, education and
experimentation. They envisioned students learning about healthy eating, how
to grow food, and most importantly, how to organize sustainability programs for
campus. Produce from the garden will go to campus dining services, The Niner
Student Pantry, as well as community non-profits such as Friendship Trays. In
2015, the Community Garden will construct a solar-powered drip irrigation
systemandhandicap-accessiblewalkways.
Niner Student Pantry
Established in 2014, The Niner Student Pantry was created to provide food to
students experiencing economic hardship. The Food Lion Feeds program
sponsored the pantry, providing shelving and nonperishable items. Students,
faculty, and staff from across campus have demonstrated support for the pantry
in a number important ways including donating volunteer hours,
canned food drives
service-learning
document editing, needs assessment research

Student-Focused Community
Engagement

% of 2014 graduating seniors who

engaged
in
service-learning
during
Getting involved in community
is an their UNC Charlotte career:

56%

community engagement by
evaluating the
rate,
frequency, and

essentialtenetofbeingaUNCCharlotte
student. Community engagement
comes in many forms including Source: NSSE
tutoring children at nearby schools,
building homes in low-income areas,
socializing animals at a local animal
shelter, contributing to operations of # of community engagement
volunteer departments, and helping
hours contributed by UNC Charlotte students in 2012-2013
with civic improvement. Through
various departments, offices, and
organizations, UNC Charlotte students
serve in community engagement
leadershiproles.
Source: Dean of Students Office

69,592

Throughitsstudentsurvey,theNational
SurveyofStudentEngagement(NSSE)
annually collects information about
student participation in programs and
activities geared towards their learning
and personal development. Although
this survey broadly assesses students
overall collegiate experience,questions
are asked to measure community
engagement. In 2012 and 2014, UNC
Charlotte administered this web-based
survey to all second semesterfirst-year
students and seniors likely to graduate
in May orAugust.
Information provided by the 2012 and
2014 versions of the NSSE survey
indicate positive growth. In 2007,
only 31% of students indicated they
had performed some sort of
community service or volunteer work
during their first year at UNC
Charlotte.In2012 that number jumped
to 37%, and by 2014 50% of first year
students
responded
that
they
participated in service-learning during
their time at UNC Charlotte. For our
graduating seniors, in 2007, 51% had
performed c o m m u n i t y

$ value of student volunteer hours

for 2012-2013

$ 1,464,216
Source: www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time

service or volunteer work. In both

2012 and 2014, that number increased
to 56%. In general, community
engagement remains an integral part of
the UNC Charlotte culture, however
there is room for improvement. get N
and response rates (put in --peer
institutions
The National Assessment
of Service and Community
Engagement
(NASCE)
is a web-based survey
conducted by the Siena
College Research Institute
that
quantitatively
measures a college or
universitys overall level of
6

depth of student community service

activities across nine areas of human
need. According to this report,
Explain--more findings, n, response
rate...(or discount entirely??)--small
response rate but below are the
findings...
--multiple entry points to community
engagement
including
course
curricula and learning communities,
student- driven organizations and
initatives.-- highlighted here...

Division of Academic Affairs

retention rate increase in Fall 2013

(cohort 2012-2013) to 80.4% and
cohort 2013-2014--82.4% (highest
rate in years and big increase)--Student retention and success can be
attributed to UNC Charlottes ability
to immerse students in programs and
initiatives that make them feel
connected to the university. There are
100
several initiatives designed to involve
90
80
students in community-engaged
70
60
learning while striving to improve
50
student retention and success. 40
First Year Students
Graduating Seniors

30

Source: NSSE data 2014

NSSE data --service-learning 201420

10
0

2007

2012

2014

GraduateResearch

IndependentStudy

Internship

StudentGroup

Field Placement(Certification)
3
UndergraduateResearch
2

Volunteer

Other

0
Student CommunityEngagement

Among 16 Learning
Communities,

81%

incorporated community service

and

31%

incorporated service-learning as a
core element of the course.
Prospect for Success--Quality
Enhancement Plan
As a part of the universitys Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS) re-accreditation received in
2013, the UNC Charlotte Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP), Prospect
for Success, outlines the Universitys
strategies for preparing students to
become curious, self and culturally
aware students committed to their own
academic
success.
Intentionality,
curiosity, and awareness are the
foundational elements for engaged
student learning. As noted in UNC
Charlottes Prospect for Success
handbook, students who described
themselves as being engaged were
more likely to express satisfaction,
attain greater success, and persist in
their education than peer who are
not engaged (see Krause 2007; Astin,
1984,1985,1993,1999;Bruffee,1993;

McKeachie, Pintrich, Lin, & Smith,

1986; Pascarella&Terenzini, 1991,
2005;Pike,1993;Kuh2008).Activeand
collaborative student engagement with
the curriculum can result in a more
substantial learning experience (see
Marton et al1997).
While community engagement is not a
required element of QEP courses, it is
recognized as a high impact practice

that aids in new student success and

retention.Assuch,facultydevelopment
emphasized opportunities to connect
students to real world experiences
through career center internships,
common reading involvement, and team
exercises that engage students in the
broader community. An intentional
longer-term outgrowth of these
outcomes is to have all of our students
become more civically engaged through
other academic and social outlets. By
Fall
2015,
all
incoming
freshmenwillbeinvolvedinaProspect
course, and some of the professional
schools will be looking at integrating
civic engagement activities during the
first semester, while others are setting
the groundwork for later sophomore or
junior curricular engagement for their
majors. Preliminary commonreflection
essay results of the first semester inthe
QEP show significant impact of the
courses in the three majoroutcomes.

Source:

Learning Communities
Established in 2001, UNC Charlotte
now has 17 residential and nonresidential Learning Community
(LCs) options for new students. For
the 2012-2013 academic year, there

were
a
totalof16learningcommunities;15 for
first-year students and one for
transfer students. When surveyed,
81%of the 16 LCs incorporate
communityengagementasanidentified
characteristic of highly effective
learning communities. Not only have

Learning Communities proven highly

successful in engaging students in the
community around them, but also in
giving students a sense of belonging to
this university. This sense of belonging
has helped students understand the
many resources at our university and
helped with retentionefforts.

Common Reading
The Common Reading Experience is
designed to provide a shared academic
experience to assist all first-year
students in their transition to UNC
Charlotte. This program offers unique

assisting refugees and immigrants in

the Charlotte region. Participating

faculty were encouraged to examine

currentinformationontheexperiences
ofrefugeesandotherimmigrantstothe
Carolinas from community partners
workingtoassistintheirtransition.
In Fall 2013, UNC
Charlotte selected
Wine to Water by
Doc
HendleyfortheCom
mon
Reading
Experience. In a true
collaborative spirit
between Academic
Affairs
andStudentAffairs,
students reading this
text as part ofa
course participated
in a water crisis
simulation
that
added to their
understanding of global water crises
while engaging them in fund raising
activities for the Wine to Water
Foundation.
GetadditionalinforfromSeanLangley-refugee

opportunitiesforself-reflection,critical
thinking, student interaction, and
understanding of diverse perspectives.
Adoption of the common reading is
especially encouraged in first year
seminars,firstyearwriting,andgeneral
education courses, though any faculty
interested in using the text in their
teachingiswelcome.

Civic Minor in Urban Youth and

Communities
The civic minor in Urban Youth and
Communities prepares students to be
agents of change in the community
through civic engagement and learning
through service.

In Fall 2012, the common reading

wasWarren St. Johns OutcastsUnited,
the story of a refugee soccer team, a
remarkable woman coach, and a small
southern town turned upside down by
the process of refugee resettlement.
That semester, students got the
opportunity to meet the author and cocurricular programs were planned to
support student engagement in the
themes of Outcasts United, including
the development of an end of semester
forum showcasing student work
related to the book and a day ofservice

Theminorisopentoallmajorswhoseek to
explore the strengths, capabilities and
issues of youth and communities in
urbansettings.
Theminorsdesignandimplementation
istheresultofacompetitivegrantfrom the
American Association of State Colleges
7

and Universities (AASCU).

interdisciplinary coursework

The

equips students to understand the

complex context of urban schools
and neighborhoods, the strengths
and capabilities of urban children and
the implications of public policy for
primary and secondary public
schools.
According to Susan Harden, assistant
professor of middle, secondary and
K-12 education and coordinator for
the minor, the program offers preservice teachers and their peers
opportunities to have experiences
with service- learning in urban
settings and to develop a rich
understanding of the public policy
context of urban schools and other
community factors that affect school
performance,
community
connections to schools and learning
outcomes forstudents...
JazzminSimsgraduatedwiththeminor
in spring 2013. Sims chose it because

she recognized that community service

formed a significant part of her
learning process at UNC Charlotte.
The minor, she said, provided the
perfect opportunity for me to go into
the community and figure out what
they need to thrive and live asatisfying
life. The most fulfilling aspect of her
experience was recognizing thepower
tohelpanindividualoraneighborhood
obtain sustainability, Sims said. She is
currently pursuing a career as a high
school guidance counselor.
The Urban Youth and Communities
minor draws on diverse departments
for its
coursework,
including
Africana studies, geography, history,
criminal justice, Latin American
studies, middle school and secondary
education, anthropology, sociology,
psychology communication studies,
religious
studies,childhood
and
familydevelopment,liberalstudiesand
education.

The Levine Scholars Program

The Levine Scholars Program is UNC
Charlottes most prestigious merit
scholarship program. It wasestablished
in 2009 by benefactors Sandra and
Leon Levine. Emulating the role that
the Levines have bestowed upon the
Charlotte community, key tenets to
awarded recipients are scholarship,
ethical,
civicengagement
and
leadership.
Thesekeytenetsserveasthefoundation
andthecompassforLevineScholarsas
they navigate their way through their
collegiateexperience.
All scholars receive access to a service
grant to implement a community
service project of their own design.
Examples of Levine Scholar service
projects include (kelleyshealy)...

SPOTLIGHT: Dance Marathon

The first graduating class of Levine
Scholarswantedtodevelopasignature
service project to commemorate their
legacy. Through a careful selection
process, the Levine Scholars chose
to support Dance Marathon, a
nationwide movement involving
more than 150 schools nationwide
raising funds for the Childrens
Miracle Network Hospital in their
community. The UNC Charlotte
Dance Marathon connected more
than 1,000 UNC Charlotte studentsin
the mission support For the Kids at
LevineChildrens Hospital.
The student leaders involved indance
marathon devoted countless hours to
engaging in weekly committee and
leadership
team
meetings,
participating in fundraising events on
and off campus, and leading
presentations for diverse UNC
Charlotte student
organizations
like athletic teams, academic and
extracurricular clubs, and fraternities
and sororities. Throughout this
process, students learned invaluable
leadership and life skills while
interacting with ChildrensHospital

patients and families.

On November 13, 2013, nearly ayear
aftertheirfirstplanningmeeting,UNC
charlotte Dance Marathon finally
arrived. From designing the floor
plans, preparing meals and snacks, to
orchestrating entertainment acts, and
organizing event logistics, these
dedicated students came to create an
unforgettable night of philanthropy
and fun for the UNC Charlotte
student body and greater Charlotte
community. Standing on-stage with
familieswhosechildrenweretreatedat
LevineChildrensHospital,feelingthe
energy and enthusiasm of the student
dancers, and discovering that Dance
Marathon had raised morethan
$35,000.00 for the Childrens Miracle
NetworkHospitalwasinspiringforall
whoparticipated.
With the new Dance Marathon
leadership team already in place for
Dance Marathon 2014, Dance
Marathon will soon be welcomed asa
new NINERtradition.

Division of Student Affairs

the 21,952 service hours completed,
student athletics contributed 2,104
hours, Greek organizations contributed
9,718, and student organizations
contributed 10,130 hours (see Figure
).
In 2012-2013, UNC Charlotte students
contributed over 69,500 hours of
volunteer service to the Charlotte
region. 2013-2014??--these hours are
calculated... Fraternities and sororities,
athletic teams, and many student
organizations perform community
service.
Office of Volunteer Outreach
The Office of Volunteer Outreach has
established and cultivated partnerships
with over 250 local agencies in the
Charlotte community. Some of these
partnerships have laid the foundation
for other groups on campus to build
upon. For example, since 2010, this
Office has partnered with CharlotteMecklenburg Schools to increase
academic achievement in the systems
low income Title I student populations
usingvolunteers.Theseeffortswerethe
precursor for the Governors Village
schoolsinitiative(seepage....).

Community Service Hours at UNC

Charlotte 2011-2012
10%
44%

Student
Organizations

46%

Fraternities
and
Sororities
Athletics

Source:

The Office of Volunteer Outreach has

established a competitive internship
for students to lead service projects in
the Charlotte community related to
Hunger and Homelessness, Youth and
Education,SeniorHealthandHospitals,
Animals, and the Environment. Interns
are responsible for establishing and
maintaining relationships with local
non-profits, attending bi- weekly
leadership
board
meetings,
coordinating one service program per
month and tracking and recording all
hours. Positions become available
every Spring semester, interviews are
held, and appointments are made by
the Assistant Director for Off-Campus
and Volunteer Outreach. Through this
office, student interns completed over
7,080 hours of engagement in 20..

Greek Organizations
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority
Life articulates four pillars serving as
the foundation for fraternities and
sororities: scholarship, leadership, and
philanthropy & community service
and

brotherhood/sisterhood. The pillars

give students the strength and support
from their early years of college to
graduation. Every year, chapters spend
countless hours raising thousands of
dollars toward worthy causes. Projects
are conducted on an individual chapter
leveltobenefitorganizationssuchasthe
Make-a-Wish Foundation, American
Red Cross, and the Ronald McDonald
House.Inthe2012-2013academicyear,
fraternities and sororities contributed
over 9,718 hours of service and raised
over $32,200 for local non-profits and
national philanthropies. All Greek
chapters are required by the University
to participate in at least one universitywide service project per semester.
Athletics
Every student athlete is required to
complete at least two community
service hours. Since 2009, the Athletics
Department offers two departmentwide community service events each
year. For the past several years, the
Department of Athletics has held an
annual Stroll for Epilepsy Walk on
campus to raise funds for the Epilepsy
Foundation. The mission of the
Epilepsy Foundation is to stop seizures
and find a cure and overcome the
challenges created by epilepsy. The
Athletic Department, alongside the Red
Cross, sponsors a blood drive each year
in honor of those lost in the 2001
terrorist attacks.

Aside from the community service

events organized as a department, there
are several team- specific community
service events that have been
incorporated over the past five years.
The baseball and softball teams
participate as buddies in the YMCA
Miracle League each fall; the volleyball
team organizes a number of fundraising
events to support breast cancer
research;

UNC Charlottes mens and womens

tennis teams volunteer with the YMCA
during their Thanksgiving Dinner; and
our mens and womens soccer teams
volunteer with the FC Carolina
Alliance, which provides youth soccer
training and development to players of
all ages, genders and abilities.

Most recently, our football team has

helped raise funds and volunteered for
UNC Charlottes RelayforLife event.
explain

campuses to visit and work with

Habitat affiliates across the country.

The group divided their efforts between tornado-ravaged Birmingham and the economically challenge

SPOTLIGHT: ENACTUS
Social Entrepreneurship is theprocess
of pursuing innovative solutions to
social problems. More specifically,
social entrepreneurs adopt a mission
tocreateandsustainsocialvalue.
Enactus is a community of student,
academic, and business leaders
committed to using the power of
entrepreneurial action to enable
human progress, with more than 500
student chapters. Enactus student
teams develop projects to support
peopleinneedandimprovethequality
oflifeofindividualsinthecommunity
by focusing on environmental, social,
and economic factors that can create
long-term, sustainable solutions to
real-world problems. At the regional
competitions, student teams make
presentations about their projects to
a panel of business leaders who serve
as judges. The national competition
showcases each regional champions
projects from theyear.
In 2013, UNC Charlottes of Enactus
chapter achieved
its
first
top
national
20
ranking at the
organ i z a tions
annual
competition.
The
UNC
Charlotte
team
was
a
fourth
runner-up in the
semi-final round
of
competition,
winning $1,500 in
prize money.They

qualified for the national competition

by winning a regional competition,
marking their tenth year as regional
champions.
The UNC Charlotte Enactusteams
presentation focused on three of their
community service projects. The
main project, The Ecuador Project,
has worked with a non-profit based
in Mooresville, N.C. to build a new
facility for an orphanage in Olon,
Ecuador which currently houses
31 children. The Enactus team has
raised over $3,000 through a variety
of fundraising effort sand has
received coverage in the Mooresville
Tribune, Mooresville Weekly, and
Your UCity magazine for their efforts.
Theteamof61studentsdedicatedover
4,100 hours on nine projects, and our
top20finishatnationalssurpassesour
two previous highs of top 60 in 2006
and2012.

National Recognition for Community Engagement

Since the institutions founding after

World War II, UNC Charlotte and the
city of Charlotte have had a strong,
mutually
beneficial
partnership.
Educators and city leaders recognize
that a productive exchange of
information and ideas in a dynamic
environment can contribute to the
economic, social, and cultural growth
of the region.

In recent years, UNC Charlottes

commitment
to
community
engagement has been nationally
recognized when, in 2008, the
Carnegie Foundation granted its
Community
Engagement
Classification to the university,

acknowledging
the
mutually
beneficial exchange of knowledge and
resources
with
surrounding
communities in a context of
partnership andreciprocity.

Also in 2008, UNC Charlotte was

named to the Presidents Higher
Education Community Service Honor
Roll for exemplary commitment to
working with local communities to
improve the quality of life for some of
the areas most vulnerable populations.
This distinction, one of the highest

federal recognitions an institution

can receive for service-learning and
civic engagement, highlights the role
colleges and universities play in
solving community problems and
placing students on a lifelong path of
civic engagement. Honorees are
chosen by National and Community
Service, the U.S. Departments of
Education and Housing and Urban
Development, Campus Compact and
the American Council on Education
based on a series of factors, including
the scope and innovation of service
projects, the extent to which servicelearning
is embedded in the
curriculum, the schools commitment
to long-term campus-community
partnerships,
and
measurable
community outcomes as a result of
the service. The University received
this honor every year since 2008 and
in 201 , UNC Charlotte received the
gold standard.