Center for Community Service Initiatives

Glenn A. Bowen, Ph.D., Executive Director

Courtney A. Berrien, M.A.T., Associate Director

Lizbeth M. James, M.S.W., Experiential Learning Coordinator

The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is Barry University’s community engagement clearinghouse. By providing programs, services, and resources to students, faculty, and administrators/staff, the CCSI supports community-engaged teaching and learning, research, and service. The Center functions as both a catalyst and the coordinating unit for mutually beneficial partnerships between the University and the community, at the local, regional, state, national, and global levels.

Programs, Projects, and Events

Located in Adrian 208 & 209, the CCSI organizes a variety of programs, projects, and events in support of its mission. The major ones (except those restricted to faculty) are summarized below.

Federal Work-Study Community Service Program: Students eligible for Federal Work-Study are placed in community settings, with public institutions and nonprofit organizations, where they assist in meeting the needs of disadvantaged populations.
Barry Service Corps: The Barry Service Corps consists of all students in Federal Work-Study Community Service and other students interested in civic learning and leadership development. This program is designed to foster civic-mindedness and promote social justice.
Days of Service: Students, including student clubs/organizations, engage in service with the community on designated days. These include (Barry) Founders' Day of Service, International Coastal Cleanup Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.
Alternative Breaks: During Fall and Spring Break, students usually take trips to underserved communities in the United States and abroad, where they collaborate typically with nonprofit or faith-based organizations to work intensively on projects addressing social issues.
Campus Democracy Project: Students, faculty, and staff participate in this nonpartisan initiative that promotes civic learning and democratic (political) engagement.
Community Engagement Fair: Community partners come to campus for this annual event, offering opportunities for service and research in various communities.
Deliberative Dialogue Series: Students and alumni, faculty and staff, and community partners take part in facilitated forums, exploring specific social issues and working towards practical solutions.
Community Engagement Symposium: Students make oral and poster presentations at this annual event on the last Wednesday of March.
Community Engagement Awards: The University, together with community partners, celebrate community-engaged learning, teaching, service, and scholarship at this major annual event in March. The Community Impact Award is presented to students for exemplary civic engagement—including service, research, and advocacy—that has a measurable impact on the community.
Barry Urban Garden: This is more than a garden; it is a values-based community agriculture initiative that provides produce to food-insecure neighborhoods and experiential learning opportunities to students.

Services and Resources

The services and resources provided by the CCSI support academic, co-curricular (student development), and partnership-building endeavors. Services and resources for students include:

Service-learning community-site placement
Community-Based Research Incentive Program
Community Engagement News (CCSI newsletter)
Opportunities for non-credit (enrichment) internships
Library resources—books, journal articles, service-learning reflection guides, etc. (via www.barry.edu/service)
Research, presentation, and publication opportunities

Service-Learning

Course Work + Community Service + Critical Reflection = Service-Learning

Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with course work and critical reflection to enrich the learning experience, foster social responsibility and civic engagement, and strengthen communities. The community service component may address issues related to education, public health, the environment, economic opportunity, disaster preparedness, or other human/social needs.

BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS: Service-learning has many benefits for students as well as the community. For example, service-learning extends learning beyond the classroom while increasing your ability to apply what you learn in the classroom to real-life situations. Students often report that service-learning facilitates a deeper understanding of course content; improves their critical-thinking, communication, and leadership skills; and deepens their appreciation of diversity. Moreover, service-learning contributes to your résumé and portfolio, and it can help you clarify your professional goals and prepare for your career.

Most service-learning courses carry a special designation and notation in the Course Schedule. The notation indicates the deep integration of thoughtfully organized community service into the curriculum and high standards of service-learning practice. The official transcripts for students who successfully complete designated service-learning courses have the following note: “This course met the criteria for the service-learning designation, requiring applied learning, student engagement with the community, and critical reflection.”