Service learning excellence recognized with awards, community reception, juried posters

LAWRENCE — The Center for Service Learning at the University of Kansas has announced the 2018 Faculty and Student Excellence in Service Learning Awards and recognized the Student Service Showcase winners from the April 26 Service Celebration and Student Poster Showcase.

 

The Faculty Excellence in Service Learning Award was conferred upon Susan Harvey, assistant professor of health, sport & exercise sciences. Daisy Crane, a senior majoring in visual art and peace & conflict studies, was recognized with the Student Excellence in Service Learning Award. Three student posters were selected as winners of the Student Service Showcase of the Service Celebration.

Faculty Excellence in Service Learning Award

 

Assistant Professor Susan Harvey was recognized for her exemplary integration of service learning into health, sport & exercise sciences courses such as Health Aspects of Aging and Program Assessment and Evaluation. Harvey began incorporating service learning into her classes in 2013 when she first included volunteering with older adults as part of the coursework for Health Aspects of Aging. She has continually evaluated and adjusted the service project to best support both student and community impact. 

 

“What the students were learning out in the field and bringing back to the class was so much more than a textbook or lecture could ever offer,” Harvey says of adding the service learning component to her classes. “While we still covered the necessary content, the students brought the content to life by adding their real-world experiences.”

 

Daisy Crane, a senior from Columbia, Missouri, received the Student Excellence in Service Learning Award for her achievements in addressing community concerns through coursework and her dedication to social justice and ethical service. Crane earned a certificate in service learning through courses in cultural anthropology and advocacy for social change. Crane has also dedicated herself to promoting ethical service experiences through the transformation of the MEDLIFE KU chapter into an ethical service advocacy group. Following on the skills she has developed through these volunteer pursuits and service learning experiences, Crane will be attending graduate school for peace studies.

 

The fourth annual Service Celebration, which took place April 26 at the Burge Union, brought together service learning faculty, students and community partners to recognize the multiple community organizations and agencies who make volunteering and service learning possible for KU students. During a juried Service Showcase Poster Competition, students presented posters on their volunteer or service learning involvement. Four students from three projects received awards of $100 each for their service posters:  

 

• Tina Lai, graduate student in social work, presented a poster on her service learning efforts at Brandon Woods at Alvamar, helping create healthy and engaging environments for the residents in senior living. 

• Razan Mansour, junior in applied behavioral science, presented a poster on her service with ThrYve (Together Helping Reduce Youth Violence for Equity) addressing risk and protective factors of youth violence.

• Jasmine Brown, senior in applied behavioral science and women, gender & sexuality studies, and Cierra Smallwood, senior in applied behavioral science and psychology, presented a poster on their service with LEAD UP (Leadership, Education, and Adolescent Development with Unlimited Potential) preparing underrepresented youth for high school completion and college readiness.

 

The Center for Service Learning fosters mutually beneficial campus-community engagement and promotes service learning as a teaching pedagogy such that community and educational outcomes are met.