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• 2009

参与的未来：OSVS和夏普程序的结合

William & Mary’s two major service programs will merge into one, and a new minor in community studies is currently under serious discussion and has enthusiastic faculty support, Provost Geoff Feiss announced during the Board of 访问ors meeting Thursday.

The 学生志愿者服务办公室 and Sharpe Community Partnerships Program will combine to become Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship (OCES). 编程合并预计将于2009年4月开始，办公室将在夏天搬进Blow Hall的一个空间。 这两个项目的现任主任德鲁·斯特尔杰斯（OSVS）和莫妮卡·格里芬（夏普）将担任新办公室的联合主任。

“As student services and academic affairs have become more professionalized in higher education over the past 30-40 years, unintentional and unfortunate barriers have arisen between these two critical components of a student’s educational experiences,” said Feiss. “Hence, it is truly wonderful to see this remarkable instance of close and continual cooperation between these two offices coming to fruition around our student’s direct engagement with the community. The dividends will ebb real and profound for all parties – students, staff, and our community partners.”

Stelljes, who was appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Board on National and Community Service in December, said that uniting the work of students affairs with coursework allowed the College to build on the strengths of each.

“The OCES will build on the strengths of a liberal education uniting engagement, community-based research, and innovative teaching methods with a deep commitment to working to solve community problems,” Stelljes said.

新办公室将提供与OSVS和Sharpe目前提供的服务相同的服务，但有一些额外的机会，包括新的社区研究辅修课程，一经批准，将于2009年秋季学期开始向学生开放。 根据提交给董事会的报告，辅修课程将为学生和教师提供跨学科和跨国界的合作研究机会，与英联邦和全球的社区合作。 The program’s courses will concentrate on the concepts and principles of 公民参与 and community-based research methods. 辅修课程还要求学生参加服务学习课程，并继续参与社区活动。 顾问将带领学生学习的学术计划，包括对顶点或荣誉论文选修课程。

“The OCES represents the 下一个 generation of community engagement at William and Mary,” said Stelljes. “The Community Studies minor with provide ample opportunity for students and faculty to pursue collaborative research working in communities across the Commonwealth and the globe.”

此外，在新办公室下，两个教授职位：公民复兴和社会企业家精神的夏普教授和社区研究的梅隆教授将加强学术成分。 In addition to offering service opportunities to students and professors, the OCES will also seek to “engage alumni with a variety of opportunities -- locally and in their own communities -- to remain connected to W&M through service and mentorship,” said Stelljes.

 All of the programs offered through the OCES will be guided by the provost’s Committee on Community Engagement and Scholarship.

“In a practical sense, the merger allows us to maximize efficiencies for managing current activities and affirm support for community engagement and scholarship at all levels of academic leadership,” said Griffin. “In a visionary sense, the Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship (read: merger) holds the promise of conceptually organizing 公民参与 at William and Mary according to our distinctive academic strengths, diverse student interests, and changing community needs in socially responsive and productive ways.”

学生和教师的参与和对公民参与的兴趣继续在威廉玛丽建立势头。 目前，威廉玛丽学院的学生每年提供大约32.3万小时的服务，超过75%的高年级学生报告说他们每周都提供服务。 此外，90%的高年级学生表示他们计划毕业后继续服务。 That’s compared with a 1994 study that showed 34,500 hours of service were being completed by students per year, with slightly more than 50 percent of juniors reporting having volunteered in the 之前的 year.

学生志愿者服务办公室与90个当地非营利机构和学校建立了合作关系。 每年，40名学生获得资助，花一个夏天参与一项重要的社区服务活动。 根据全国另类假期组织Breakaway的数据，目前，该校在冬、春、暑假期间提供了19次国际服务旅行，比其他任何学院或大学都多。 Additionally, the College’s Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity has 450 members, making it the largest chapter in the country.

The College’s extensive work in community service has been frequently lauded. Just recently, the College was again named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, an honor that serves as “recognition from the highest levels of the federal government for your commitment to service and 公民参与 on your campus and in our nation,” according to a release.

Last year, Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine visited William and Mary to praise the College’s leadership and students for their service work, and, just a few weeks ago, he saw that work first-hand as he helped students on a Habitat for Humanity project in Petersburg, Va.
Stelljes said the merger represents the College’s deep commitment “to supporting students’ personal and intellectual development through community engagement.”

“We can hardly wait to get started,” he said.