Giving Back to Our Communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
STEPHENVILLE, Texas—More than 100 opportunities are available for Tarleton State University’s first Service Day set Thursday, April 7, when students take to the community to lend a helping hand with everything from cleaning the Bosque River to giving free computer classes for seniors.
The day is part of Texans Team Up, a full week of activities dedicated to the university’s core value of service.
The week kicks off Saturday, April 2, when students, faculty and staff help local residents with everything from washing windows to mowing lawns as part of a legendary event known as Round Up. On Tuesday, April 5, Tarleton launches its first Day of Giving, designed as a way for the entire university family—including alumni and friends—to pay it forward to students. The goal is for 1,899 participants (representing the year Tarleton was founded) to give any amount of their choice.
Service Day opportunities, unlike Round Up projects, have an academic focus. Appropriately referred to as learning experiences, Service Day opportunities are in concert with efforts by Tarleton’s Center of Academic Outreach and Engagement (AOE) to build a culture of social responsibility by connecting academic programs with community needs.
“Tarleton’s AOE is dedicated to engaging scholars and empowering communities through service learning opportunities,” said Provost Karen Murray. “Service learning embeds organized service activities into fields of academic study. They move students beyond the classroom, giving them the chance to use academic knowledge in true-to-life situations.”
According to AOE Director Denae Dorris, the center helps facilitate academic partnerships that are responsive to the needs of local, state, national and international communities.
“In a quest to expand this noble culture of service learning, AOE works with civic leaders and cross-disciplinary faculty to create research and service networks that make life better for others here and even abroad,” Dorris said. “These networks address specific, short-term issues or coordinate extensive, sustainable relationships to address more complex, long-term situations—like efforts to improve water quality in Ethiopia.”
To help Tarleton faculty launch or expand service learning courses, AOE has established the Engaged Scholars Academy. The academy is designed to accelerate the work of faculty who want to foster citizenship, engagement and social responsibility within their students.
“Service Day, along with Tarleton’s strong and longstanding commitment to community support, positions the university to achieve Carnegie Community Engagement Classification,” Dorris said. The classification is reserved for universities that show a sustainable commitment to volunteer service and use school resources for public good.
Many Service Day opportunities qualify as Applied Learning Experiences. Students can see a complete list of Service Day opportunities and sign up to participate at https://orgsync.com/129498/chapter.
For more information on Texans Team Up, including Round Up and Day of Giving, visit tarleton.edu/texansteamup/.
Tarleton, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service, and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow’s professional leaders. With campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.
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Contact: Dr. Denae Dorris
254-968-1990
[email protected]
