ul system service-learning report 2009

8/6/2019 UL System Service-Learning Report 2009

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University of Louisiana System

Board of Supervisors

Acknowledgments

University o Louisiana System

Mr. Devin BroomeMs. Blair BroussardDr. Sally Clausen

Dr. Caprice IeyoubDr. Edwin LitolDr. Joe LottMrs. Anne McKissonDr. Randy MoettDr. Brad OHara

Dr. Kim Hunter-ReedMs. Analeise ReevesMs. Erica SherrardMrs. Carol Slaght

Dr. Sharon SouthallMrs. Jackie Tisdell

UL System Service-Learning Council

Ms. Margaret AlexanderDr. Rory BedordDr. Gri Blakewood

Dr. Wayne BrumfeldDr. Morris CoatsDr. Tena GoldingDr. Greg GrangerMr. Steve GruesbeckDr. Betty Robertson

Dr. Je SandozDr. Rick SimmonsDr. David Yarbrough

Mrs. Elsie P. Burkhalter, Chair

Mr. Winred F. Sibille, Vice Chair

Mr. D. Wayne Parker, Parliamentarian

Mr. Paul G. Aucoin

Mr. Andre G. Coudrain

Mr. Edward J. Craword, III

Dr. Mildred G. Gallot

Mr. E. Gerald Hebert

Mr. Steven Jackson, Student

Mr. Jerey Jenkins

Ms. Renee A. Lapeyrolerie

Mr. Jimmy D. Long, Sr.

Mr. Russell L. Mosely

Mr. Carl G. Shetler

OVERVIEWDR. RANDY MOFFETT, PRESIDENT

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA SYSTEM

ULS Serves is the service-learning initiative o the University o Louisiana Systemthat was created under the leadership o ormer UL System President Dr. Sally Clausenand unded by a three-year grant rom the Corporation or National CommunityServices Learn and Serve America Division to address the devastation and sueringthat many Louisianans experienced in the atermath o Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.Trough this program, the eight universities in the UL System have logged, thus ar,115,000 hours o service-learning activities involving 13,500 college students, 300youth and 1,400 adult participants, as well as over 300 community partners.

Former U.S. Secretary o Education Richard Riley, a strong advocate o service-learning, suggested that As we work to strengthen our schools and prepare our

students to achieve, I hope that we will continue to ocus on their growth in thesupport and compassion they can demonstrate or others in their communities. I also hope that our schools will continuenot just centers o academic learning, but also o positive personal growth and a training ground or good, caring citizens.Serves has done much towards this worthy end. Our grant has allowed the System to expand service-learning througheight campuses and reinorce this important teaching strategy as a top priority as its benets are ar-reaching; extending bthe classroom into the community. S ervice-learning strengthens and promotes the spirit o civic service or UL System stuaculty and sta while encouraging them to be innovative. Our grant has assisted communities with recovery, encouragengaged student leadership and accelerated the institutionalization o this concept throughout our System.

An interesting evolution during this grant was the ormation o a unique partnership with the Louisiana Department o Eduto establish and enhance mentoring programs; a specic aspect o service-learning. College students are able to enhance reeorts by working with at-risk youth to improve literacy, numeracy and interpersonal skills. Tese programs reinorce longstarelationships among UL System institutions and their local elementary and secondary schools.

Te programs captured in this report showcase the energy, creativity, compassion and commitment to service o the eighSystem campuses, consistent with President Barack Obamas recent signing o the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Awill create new volunteer and service opportunities or Americans. As is with the Presidents agenda, service-learning continbe at the top o the agenda or the UL System.

Contents

About the UL SystemEstablished in 1974, the University o Louisiana System is the largest postsecondary education

system in the state, enrolling over 80,000 students and employing approximately 9,000 peopleat eight universities. The UL System produces the majority o the states public our-yeargraduates in education, business, engineering , nursing and pharmacy. UL System institutions areGrambling State University, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls StateUniversity, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, the University o

Louisiana at Laayette and the University o Louisiana at Monroe.

From development to implementation, there have been several individuals who have contributedto the success o the ULS Serves grant, including Learn and Serve America program ofcers KevinDays and Kirsten Breckenridge. A much deserved thank you is extended to current and pastmembers o:

THREE-YEAR OVERVIEW ....................2

Grant Success: By the Numbers.........4

Ensuring Success: GrantManagement .................................... 5

Measuring Success: Pre- and Post-testSurveys .......................................... 7

Celebrating Success: Annual Service-Learning Conerence .........................8

Guiding Success: Service-LearningCouncil ........................................... 10

Future Success: Institutionalization ...11

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS .....................15

Agriculture ................................. 16Architecture ............................... 18Communications ........................ 20Education/mentoring ..................22Environmental sciences ..............28Family and consumer sciences ....32Fine arts ....................................34Foreign language ........................36Health and exercise science .......38Historic preservation ...................40Inormation technology ...............40Mathematics and science ...........42

Nursing, psychology and sociservices ..............................Social sciences ..................

Student-driven projects ........


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Te all o 2005 marked signicant change or Louisiana. Hurricanes Katrina andRita let a path o destruction, helplessness and despair. Yet, these natural disasters alsosparked remarkable determination, selessness and resilience in our states people, andthey brought to the oreront the University o Louisiana Systems coordinated eort tospread service-learning across its eight universities. Tus, ULS Serves was born.

Service-learning and volunteerism have long been synonymous with higher education.Prior to 2005 all eight UL System campuses engaged in service projects ranging romGreek organization initiatives to sporadic outreach programs to a handul o dedicatedaculty actively engaged in service-learning. Tese initiatives and others varied inintensity and reach rom campus to campus, and there was no system-wide eort toacilitate cross-campus collaborations or provide nancial incentives to grow programs.

Under the leadership o ormer President Sally Clausen, the UL System began topromote and coordinate student engagement through the development o a UL SystemCouncil on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement and leadership in the AmericanAssociation o State Colleges and Universities American Democracy Project. TeUL System sta was instrumental in the creation o the Southern Consortium o theAmerican Democracy Project (ADP-South), a 13-state organization.

UL System Student Board Member Mallory Wall served as a keynote speaker at therst annual ADP-South meeting held in Atlanta in 2005, just months ater HurricanesKatrina and Rita. In addition to her service on the Board, Wall served as the StudentGovernment Association (SGA) President o McNeese State University, which wasdirectly aected by Hurricane Rita. Walls presentation about the impact o the twohurricanes on Louisiana and higher education, in particular, sparked a tremendousgroundswell o empathy and a desire to help.

PHOTOS (rom let to right)

Dr. Ellen Smileys grant titled

Improving the Schools, Reducing

Crime, and Supporting the Arts and

Culture gave students enrolled in

musical ensembles at Grambling

State University the opportunity to

inspire high school students aected

by Hurricane Katrina through music.

Mallory Walls Padgett, ormer

McNeese SGA president and UL

System Student Board Member, was

the brainchild behind Xtreme Spring

Break a program initiated to assist

the rebuilding o homes devastated by

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Kevin Days with Learn and Serve

America presents ormer UL System

President Sally Clausen and ormerBoard Chair Jimmy Long, Sr. with a

check or the frst installment o the

$1.2 million grant orULS Serves in

2006.

When we labout the goodbeing pursued

University o LouSystem through it

Serves prograLouisiana Deparo Education wa

to support the

With nin

designed menprograms underway, the Uni

o Louisiana Sis contributing t

and local eorts tstudent achiev

and ensuLouisianas st

are college andready. Tese m

are utilizing enecollege studengage, ocu

motivate students and to inhigh school grad

Paul PaSuperintend

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In response, the UL System ofce worked with its eight university SGA presidentsto create X-treme Spring Break 2006: Students Rebuilding Louisiana, a weeklongservice project where students built homes in partnership with Habitat or Humanitywhile being housed at McNeese and Southeastern Louisiana University. Tis rstventure into a system-wide, coordinated service project was a tremendous success andprovided impetus or the system to apply or a ederal service-learning grant rom theCorporation or National Community Service.

In August 2006, the Corporation or National Community Services Learn and ServeAmerica Division awarded the UL System a three-year, $1.2 million grant to implementservice-learning programs ocused on hurricane recovery and disaster preparedness. Tegrant was structured so that 90 percent o the ederal unding would go directly to theeight UL System universities grant projects.

In order to ensure service-learning programs eectively met the states needs orhurricane recovery, successul sub-grant applications had to ocus on one o the 15needs as identied by the Louisiana Recovery Authority in the report Louisiana Speaks.Te 15 needs were:

1. Build better levees and other hurricane protection,2. Develop new housing,3. Restore coastal areas,4. Improve schools,5. Attract new businesses to the area,6. Make reconstruction jobs/training available or residents,7. Provide better community social services,8. Make highway and street improvements,9. Reduce crime,

10. Devise a workable evacuation plan,11. Protect the environment,12. Buy out ood-prone properties,13. Provide a better public transportation system,

14. Support the arts and culture, and15. Create more parks and open spaces.

In addition to addressing these needs, the sub-grants had to demonstrate a learningcomponent, seek out partnerships with community groups, match requested unds ona 1:1 scale, and demonstrate sustainability o the project at the conclusion o grantunding.

HREE-YEAR OVERVIEW


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In total, 79 sub-grant projects were awarded over three years: 29 in 2007, 21 in 2008and 29 in 2009. While some projects are still in-process, the UL System exceeded itsgoal o initiating 70 projects.

Earlier this year, through a program called Extreme Spring Break, students rom the University o Louisiana Systems eightcampuses volunteered their vacation time to help rebuilding eorts in the wake o last years hurricanesWe applaud thevolunteer contributions o college students in Louisi ana and across the nation. Like most volunteers, they probably will getmore than they give in the bargain.

EditorialBaton Rouge Advocate, October 21, 2006

A critical oundation to the successul implementation o any grant similar to ULS Servesis a cadre o skilled, committed people. However, the eective application o technologyis oten overlooked as a component o success. Tis latter eature has undoubtedlyallowed service-learning to expand and thrive on the UL System campuses.

With its eight campuses spread across the state and the opportunity or hundreds oaculty and sta to participate in the ULS Serves program, the University o LouisianaSystem created an efcient, cost-eective and user-riendly Internet-based grantsystem to allow sub-grantees and council members alike to navigate through the grantapplication, approval and monitoring processes. As well, a uniquely designed internaldatabase was developed that oers additional nancial controls beyond those providedby its scal agent and existing on-campus reporting systems.

Created by sta member Dr. Edwin Litol, the internal database serves as a trackingtool or all expenditures; both reimbursable and donations o monetary value and time.Sta members are able to print and review reports directly rom the database, which arethen orwarded to the scal agent or processing.

Another eective aspect o the ULS Serves system is its online application process.Interested aculty submit their sub-grant applications online, and these proposals are

then sent to the Council on Service-Learning or anonymous review, comments andgrading. Te system also tracks sub-grant partnerships and sustainability levels. Te

Ensuring Success: Grant Management

From providing hurricane relie activities to building Habitat or Humanity houses to meeting gaps in community servicestudents are gaining insights that extend ar beyond the traditional classroom experience and take them rom me to w

There could also be the potential beneft that students who become engaged in their college towns may orge a link thakeeps them there even ater they graduateBy encouraging college students to think beyond themselves, to serve otheto live lives as engaged citizens, colleges are returning to what higher education is all about.

Shreveport Times, June 10

114,968 Service Hours

13,471 CollegeStudent Participants

836 Faculty andStaff Participants

1,424 Adult Volunteers

323Community Partners

Grant Success: By the Numbers

PHOTO

Dr. Edwin Litol, Associate Vice

President or Institutional Research

or the University o Louisiana System

developedULS Serves online and

database management systems.


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program combines all o these c ategories to calculate a nal score and ranking relativeto other proposals that allows or quick and easy decision making.

Other eatures incorporated into the online application design include the collection ograntee contact inormation, online registration or the ULS Serves annual conerence,and pre- and post-test service-learning evaluation tools, which allow the sta to observeattitude changes in students ater their participation in a service-learning project. Resultso these evaluations suggest that ULS Serves grant projects have helped to not onlyincrease support or service-learning, but also have increased student civic engagement.Student comments reinorce the power o service-learning projects, as many believethat they have made a dierence.

Te UL Systems online application, grant review, reimbursement and database designare valuable assets o the ULS Serves grant. ogether, these innovative tools haveacilitated the growth o service-learning throughout the UL System by oering a user-riendly experience to those new to grant-writing and/or service-learning. As well,the tools have aided scal integrity o the overall program. During a recent nationalservice-learning conerence, the UL System was praised or the efciency and accuracyo this centralized system by the national ofce.

Dollar-or-dollar matches rom the eight schools in the system have provided $2.5 million over the past three years or

programs that have assisted and enriched communities and civic groups and provided opportunities or students to expandheir classroom knowledge and experiences with hands-on serviceAs UL System President Randy Moett said, students whoparticipate in the Service-Learning program discover that using their skills and talents to assist others is the ultimate git andhe best way to give back to the communities that have helped make their education possible.

Natchitoches Times

December 20, 2008

Measuring Success: Pre- and Post-test Surveys

Music has survived chaos, calamity and now Hurricane Katrina. With a $15,000 grant rom the University o Louisia

System, Grambling State University launched a service-learning project called Preserving the Arts and Culture to ensupreservation o the states musical legacy, particularly in the New Orleans area.

Southwest DApri

Pre- and post-test surveys were administered to over 4,000 ULS Serves grant participants. Te results, which are highlighteshow statistically signicant positive impacts o service-learning activities on various perceptions.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

I find the content in school courses intellectually stimulating.


I can make a positive difference in my life.


I feel that I can have a positive impact on local social problems.


I plan to improve my neighborhood in the near future.


I feel well-prepared for my future career.

Pre-test () and Post-test () Survey ResultsofULS Serves Grant Participants

Te ULS Serves electronic submissionand retrieval process is straightorwardand simple to use. Users can access thesystem day or night, and the process isintuitive, allowing even a rst-time userto hit the ground running.Steve GruesbeckService-Learning DirectorNorthwestern State University


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The University o Louisiana System is entering the second phase this all in a series o service-learning programs in whichtudents can address hurricane recovery and disaster preparednessThe proposals must address one o 15 recovery needsdentifed by the Louisiana Recovery Authority We will submit more grant applications, said Tech academic administratorMargaret Alexander. We ound it to be so valuable, these projects that were unded and initiated l ast year and the

ommunities they served.Monroe News Star

September 20, 2007

Clad in muddy work boots and tool belts, more than 70 students rom Grambling State University, the University o Louat Laayette, Baton Rouge Community College, Nicholls State University and Southeastern Louisiana University opted toa week o spring-time leisure to participate in the University o Louisiana Systems X-treme Spring Break program, now

second year.Houma April 12

Te annual conerence is part o the UL Systems commitment togrowing service-l earning at its eight universities. Te intent wasto oer proessional development to aculty, sta and students;celebrate the work unded by the Learn and Serve America grantand encourage collaborative partnerships or the development onew service-learning projects.

Te grant not only succeeded in that, but also achieved other desiredoutcomes, which included inspiring new grantees with dierent ideas as well as highlighting thevalue o past grant projects as learned through another conerence evaluation, I got loads o ideas rom the sessions, andI appreciate the work that has already been done. Im thoroughly impress ed with the service learning initia tive in our ULSystem, and Im excited about writing a grant mysel.

Te rst conerence held in the all o 2006, jump-started the ULS Serves grant. Much o the meeting ocused on overviewinormation about service-learning, inormation about sub-grants available courtesy o the Learn and Serve Americagrant and networking opportunities among the eight universities. Te keynote speaker was ony Byers, ProessionalDevelopment Director o the National Youth Leadership Council. Over 80 people attended across various academicdisciplines. Te success o the inaugural conerence was evidenced by the awarding o 29 projects or a total o $618,291.

Te second annual conerence in 2007 ocused on collaboration. Guest speakers included Dr. Marybeth Lima, whowas the recipient o the national 2007 Tomas Ehrlich Faculty Award or Service-Learning, Dr. Stuart Stewart and Dr.David Deggs rom Louisiana Campus Compact, and Jan Shoemaker, Director o Louisiana State Universitys Centeror Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership. With an attendance o 89 people, this conerence was the rstopportunity to showcase grant-unded projects with 13 breakout presentations.

Te third annual conerence in 2008 had an underlying theme o institutionaliz ation. Dr. Barbara Moely, ProessorEmerita o Psychology and Research Afliate o the Center or Public Service at ulane University, presented on buildingand sustaining service-learning programs. Attendance or this conerence grew to 108 people and excitement aboundedas 26 breakout presentations showcased the diversity and creativity o grant-unded campus projects.

Tese conerences were not only a great place to encourage community and collaborative partnerships, but also servedas a networking unction or grantees to receive advice and support. It was encouraging to see aculty there that wereactively engaging their students in meeting community needs in hands-on ways. Te inormation provided on grantswas helpul, said a conerence attendee.

As a ormer campus president at Southeastern Louisiana University, UL SystemPresident Randy Moett is a long-time advocate o service-learning. Wealready know the transormational power o these initiatives, but being ableto see rst-hand the impact o the projects at the annual conerence urtherdisplays the importance o service-learning and serves as a reminder o why wepursued national grant unding, said Moett.

Te ourth annual conerence to be held on August 10, 2009, will continue tohighlight the value o collaboration between institutions, work toward systemic

strategies or long-term service-learning initiatives on our campuses, andcelebrate the great work completed and underway thanks to the Learn and S erveAmerica grant.

Celebrating Success:Annual Service-LearningConference

op Quality! Te sessions I attended were wonderul uses orthese unds and were exceptional presentations.

I very much enjoyed each o the break-out sessions I attended.Te diversity o topics was antastic.

Inormative I never knew there was so much going on inLouisiana.

I got loads o ideas rom the sessions, and I appreciate the workthat has already been done. I m thoroughly impressed with theservice-learning initiative in our UL System, and Im excitedabout writing a grant mysel.

Tese excerpts rom conerence evaluations demonstrate the eectiveness the University

o Louisiana System wished to achieve when it implemented an annual conerence aspart o the ULS Serves grant.


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Te University o Louisiana Systems Council on Service-Learning and CivicEngagement was created in 2005 to guide and coordinate the growth o service-learningacross our campuses. Te intervening years served to clariy the groups mission and tosimpliy its name. Now known as the Council on Service-Learning, the group works todevelop community programming or students outside o the classroom and to integrateinnovative service components within the traditional academic experience.

Te Council is comprised o representatives selected to serve by the Provosts o each othe eight UL System universities. O ver the past our years, the Council has played anintegral role in ULS Serves by reviewing grant proposals, providing program and grantoversight, and serving as a resource to aculty, sta and students alike.

As service-learning has moved beyond its introductory phases, the Council has emergedin an enhanced role that will continue to promote growth and sustainability. Councilmembers are presently surveying exciting options to oer recognition or signicantservice-learning achievement, and they have initiated healthy discussions regarding theintrinsic value o developing standardized assessments and measurable outcomes.

In addition to oering convenient proessional development workshops ranging romservice-learning basics to best practices, the Council also envisions multi-campuscollaborative colloquiums that will serve to improve networking, support and interaction

amongst campuses, communities and disciplines. As more ocused service-learningresearch reveals which practices are most productive, the Council on Service-Learningsexperience will provide the insight that is required to eectively implement practicalapplications.

The University o Louisiana System launched the initiative to place students in their surrounding communities as a means omaking them better citizensUL System Board Chairwoman Elsie Burkhalter, who lost her Slidell home during Hurricane Katrinaand is still in the process o rebuilding, said its a role that universities have been flling or more than two years and the

commitment remains. As Louisiana continues to recover rom the devastating hurricanes o 2005, it is gratiying to know wehave top aculty, sta and students at our universities who will be investing their time, resources and brain power to make adierence, she said.

Thibodaux Daily CometJanuary 25, 2008

Guiding Success: Service-Learning Council

Students who do volunteer work outside the classroom are more likely to be successul, not just in their studies but in linational study and top Louisiana higher education ofcials sayThe UL System is urging proessors in the eight-campus Sto engage students in volunteer work and is oering mini-grants to help them pay some o the costs o volunteerism. Th

has received a $1.2 million grant rom the Corporation or National and Community Service in Washington, D.C., throughand Serve America program.

Monroe News Star and ShrevepOctober

PHOTO

ULS Council on Service-Learning

members rom let: Dr. Betty

Robertson rom McNeese, Dr. Tena

Golding rom Southeastern, Dr.

Caprice Ieyoub rom the UL System,

Dr. Rory Bedord rom Grambling,

Council Chair Steve Gruesbeck rom

Northwestern, Dr. Wayne Brumfeld

rom UL Monroe, Dr. Morris Coats rom

Nicholls, and Dr. David Yarbrough rom

UL Laayette. Not pictured is Dr. Rick

Simmons rom Louisiana Tech.

Te ULS Serves grant has served as a catalyst to expand and institutionalize service-learning throughout the UL System. A recent survey o campuses reveals tremendousprogress has been made over the past three years. Te ollowing are a ew examples:

At Grambling State University, a service-learning requirement was added tothe General Education Program eective Fall

,

08. All incoming students mustcomplete 160 hours o service-learning as a requirement o graduation. GSU hasalso implemented an approval process or a course to be designated as a service-learning course. GSU now oers over 20 service-learning courses per year; 3 yearsago service-learning activities were random and not documented.

Louisiana ech has established a service-learning council with aculty, administrativeand student representation. In 2007/08, 104 classes were oered with a service-learning requirement; 50 were reported the previous year. Administrators laud theLearn and Serve America grant or bringing a service-learning ocus to the campus.

At McNeese State University, a service-learning coordinator has been appointed tolead campus activities. welve courses are oered with a required service-learningcomponent; only 4 such courses were oered our years ago. Faculty receive creditor service-learning activities in their annual perormance evaluation.

At Nicholls State University, a service-learning coordinator has also been established.In 2007/08, there were over 40 courses oered with a service-learning component.wo years prior, only 17 such courses were oered. A new campus-wide service-learning award has been initiated.

Future Success: Institutionalization

PHOTO

Architecture students at Louisiana

Tech Uni versity design and build

homes in partnership with Habitat o

Humanity.


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LRA Director o Community Planning Je Hebert spoke at the UL Systems annual service-learning conerence held August13 in Baton Rouge and pledged resources rom his ofce to help aculty make connections with community organizationsalready engaged in recovery eorts across the state.

Pointe Coupee Banner

September 20, 2007

At Northwestern State University, a ull-time Director o Service-Learning hasbeen hired. Virtually no ser vice-learning courses were oered three years ago; today13 such courses are provided. Te Ofce o Service-Learning recently sponsored 3workshops or aculty/sta interested in learning more about this concept.

Southeastern Louisiana University has instituted a Service-Learning Committeecomprised o aculty, sta and students. A campus-wide identication system iscurrently being created to note courses that have service-learning content. Plansare also in progress to establish a website or community partners to post potentialprojects. Te University estimates that there has been a 67 percent increase in service-learning oerings over the past two years.

Te University o Louisiana at Laayette has appointed a Dean o Community Service.Tere have been two recent campus-wide surveys to begin the process o identicationand collaboration o service-learning activities on a broader scale. Spring

,

09 acultysel-reports show that 118 courses have a service-learning component. Te Universitywill soon require a ser vice-learning component or all rst-time reshmen, with theprogram scheduled to be tested by select aculty in the all o 2009 and piloted in thespring with about 100 students

Te University o Louisiana at Monroes College o Pharmacy has implementedservice-learning since the Spring semester o 2006 and it is now a requirement orevery pharmacy class. Campus-wide, approximately 65 courses are oered annuallywith a service-learning component.

At its December meeting, the ULS Board awarded several additional learning grants to all three area universitiesTheuniversities ambitious proposals include tutoring partnerships with area public school systems, several hurricane-relate

projects including Techs assistance with the recovery o the Gert Town neighborhood in New Orleans and the implemeo an instructional unit or ULMs reshman seminar students that will expand their knowledge o social and environmenissues pertaining to the hurricanes. UL System President Sally Clausen said the projects are a signifcant step towardgoal or all students to have a service-learning experience beore they graduate. We agree.

Monroe NeJanuary 3

Its intended to provide frsthand knowledge about Louisianas litter problem and shed light on the negative impacts

o marine debris. The cooperative endeavor includes the Nature Conservancy, National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration, AmeriCorps and the Grand Isle community. Service-learning projects like this one oers benefts to stParticipation can have positive impacts on leadership ability, grades, retention, degree aspirations, critical-thinking skilcommitment to helping others. Additionally, research shows that at least 50 percent o students who engage in servi

learning during college will continue volunteering ater graduation.

Thibodaux DailyDecember 23

A whole lot o shaking was going on at The IDEA Place Math and Science Discovery Center Thursday as the centers nexhibit, an earthquake simulator, was unveiledBecause a component was service learning, I think we put more heait knowing it was being donated to the science museum on campus.They [students] can demonstrate what they ha

learned and educate at the same time. This teaches the science behind the exhibit but also allows students to demowhat they are capable o.

Monroe NeMay 28

This all, the Ater-school Achievement Program, will transition rom its pilot status to an improved and establishedprogram, thanks to the Learn and Serve grant, which will und a mobile math lab complete with six laptop computers, manipulatives and other math skill-building supplies.

Baton Rouge A

July 1


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As a student and head o the student norganization Resourceul University N

(RUN), I have beneted greatly rom tServes grant. Te unded project RUN

allowed me to plug-in the skills thalearned as a communications major and to

a better understanding o cross-discinteractions between engineers, in

designers, businessmen, marketing proeand environmental scientists. By pr

sustainable living and alternative energcommunity, the RUNbus project has me an opportunity to be part o the cgood. Above all, the grant has given

courage to continue pursuing bigger drethe condence that by bringing together t

people anything is p

Chance G

University o Louisiana at L

AGRICULTURE

-Processparta Conservation Service-Learning Projectuisiana ech University

r. Aaron Lusby

Te Louisiana Rural Development Center will coordinate withouisiana echs Department o Agricultural Sciences aculty tovelop and implement service-learning materials or students inlected agricultural sciences courses to increase public awarenessissues concerning conservation o the Sparta Aquier (the majorater source or North Louisiana and Southern Arkansas). It is

mportant or North L ouisiana to have an inexpensive, sustainableater supply, especially during times o emergency. Studentsill engage community businesses and public ofcials to solicitrticipation in a conservation campaign through presentations andstribution o promotional materials such as pamphlets, windowckers and videos in an eort to continually inorm and/or reminde public about water conservation.

Te CARE ProjectLouisiana ech UniversityDr. Aleta Overby

In the spring o 2007, a unique service-learning class was createdat Louisiana ech University. Named the Citizens Animal Rescueand Evacuation (CARE) project, students worked in partnershipwith the Louisiana Animal Response eam (LSAR) to providecare or horses in the event o a catastrophic event such as ahurricane. Tirteen students enrolled in the inaugural course andlogged a total o 160 service-learning hours. Students worked ata therapeutic riding center, assisted in giving educational toursor Pre-K through sixth grade students at the Louisiana EquineCenter, and volunteered at local horse events. Five o these studentssubsequently achieved national incident command (ICS-100)certication.

HOTOS (rom let to right)

s part oThe CARE Project, Louisiana Tech students assisted in conducting education tours at the Equine Center or Pre-K through sixth grade students.

ouisiana Tech students engaged in proper animal rescue, evacuation and care techniques.

irliting horses to saety was part o the training undertaken in The CARE Project.


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Renewing Communities: Assisting the Rejuvenationo Gert ownLouisiana ech UniversityDr. Vibhavari Jani

Tis was an inter-disciplinary, collaborative, community service-learning project where sixteen interior design and architecture studentsprovided assistance to the Gert own residents o New Orleans.Te research indicated that Gert owns compelling needs includedremoval o abandoned houses, building new housing, communitycenters, parks and open spaces, as well as street and drainage repairs.With the help o proessors, community partners and proessionalconsultants, students developed our new site specic housingprototypes and a Friendship House that can be adapted to supporthurricane recovery eorts. Te overarching goal was to encouragestudents and aculty participation in recovery eorts; acilitatecollaboration with community partners, proessionals and serviceorganizations; create awareness regarding health, saety and welareo the hurricane aected community; and provide opportunities orstudent reection and service learning.

Utilizing Abandoned Homes to Assist Families Devastated byDisasters: A Unique Response and Recovery ModelLouisiana ech UniversityDr. Vibhavari Jani

Tis project responded to a need or preparing temporary shelters or

amilies who were aected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as wellas other disasters that may occur in uture. Te project challengedstudents to utilize abandoned homes in Ruston, Louisiana andprepare renovation plans so that unding agencies and proessionaland community organizations could prepare temporary shelters orsuch amilies. Students identied abandoned residential dwellingsthat could serve as emergency response shelters and a basis to developsocial networks to help rebuild mutually enhancing relationships.

I have been the recipient o two ULS LeServe grants and have worked with our stuassist Katrina aected Gert own commu

later to prepare shelters to assist disaster communities. Both projects were desi

assist communities in need, but also engdesign students in community service Our architecture and interior design poured their hearts and souls in these and learned a great deal not just about

design homes and associated technical aspealso how to work with clients, understaneeds, and provide comortable, cultur

climatically appropriate solutions. Trougprojects, our students became aware o tho sustainability, poverty and social justic

projects ignited curiosity and transormstudents into compassionate and caring deMany students now want to donate their

improving their local communities and tin various green and sustainable designWithout these grants we would not have be

to achieve this drastic change. I hope thgrant programs continue to inspire man

educators and st

Dr. VibhavarAssistant P

Louisiana ech Un

ARCHITECTURE

uilding Hope: Service-Learning Initiative o UL Laayetteuilding Institute and Boys and Girls Clubniversity o Louisiana at Laayetter. W. Geo Gjertson

Te population increase in Laayette due to Hurricanes Katrinad Rita generated a corresponding increase in average dailytendance at the Boys & Girls Club. Approximately 25 ULaayette architecture students collaborated with Boys & Girlslub members, community members, local business leaders andoessional architects to build a acility and develop a master planincrease the Boys & Girls Club capacity and positively impacte entire community. Te benets or the project included a modelr service-learning utilizing community design and construction, astainable master plan or the Boys and Girls Club and an enriched,verse and accessible environment to benet the welarethe community.

ReNEW: A Service-Learning Initiative o UL LaayetteUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. W. Geo Gjertson

Fity UL Laayette School o Architecture, Building Institute,Art Education Program and Department o Visual Arts studentsworked with approximately ninety community volunteers rom theAcadiana Outreach Center and homeless clients. Tey used donatedand reclaimed materials to create new, unctional and artistic itemspublic art marketed to beautiy the community through public art.Surplus and salvaged building materials (wood, tile, metal, doors,windows, etc.) were donated to the program warehouse workshoprom commercial construction sites, home-repairs and buildingvendors to keep rom being wasted in landlls. Hurricane debriswas also reclaimed or use in the program. Te clients used the skillslearned to secure employment in the construction industry.


he Boys and Girls Club o Laayette received help in Building Hope, a project dedicated to giving children a covered play area or ater school

xtracurricular activities.

Dr. Barbara C. Bensons Project RUNbus was designed to raise awareness about sustainable living strategies. It is a reurbished school bus ueled by

sed cooking oil.

student participates in Dr. Geo Gjertsons ReNewprogram, a project designed to educate impoverished community members.


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Service-Learning in echnical WritingUniversity o Louisiana at MonroeDr. Sandra Hill

ULM technical writing students joined orces with area businessesand non-prot organizations to develop disaster response andpreparedness materials. Tis helped ULM students and communitymembers deal with the psychological trauma o Hurricanes Katrinaand Rita. Te goal o the project was to assist area agencies repairlives in Louisiana while providing real-world writing experiencesor technical writing students.

We Shall Overcome: Narrating the Challenges o the EarlyCivil Rights Movement in Southeastern LouisianaSoutheastern Louisiana UniversityDr. Suzette Bryan

Te Communication Department at Southeastern LouisianaUniversity partnered with the local chapter o the NAACP tocapture rst person narratives rom those people immersed in theearliest permutations o the Civil Rights movement. Ater receivinginstruction rom aculty, students were assigned to give audio and videotaped ace-to-ace interviews to ounding members o theangipahoa Parish NAACP, dating to 1965. Edited content romthese interviews was made available to the public via Podcastsrom the Communication Department web site, the SoutheasternChannel, and KSLU, the Southeastern radio station. In addition, an

interactive permanent exhibit was established in the Southeasternlibrary. Tis grants overarching goal was to provide students witha historical perspective o the early Civil Rights movement in theircommunity; to preserve time dependent content in that many othose selected or this project are elderly; to secure content in lighto the diaspora that has o ccurred subsequent to Hurricane Katrina;and to provide a service to the NAACP to preserve the heritage othis organization.

Te Deep South Festival o WritersUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Dayana Stetco

UL Laayette students partnered with approximatelyhigh school students to reinstate the 42-year-old traditDeep South Festival o Writers ater a 4-year absence. Ttaught students how to cope with and reect on traumasuch as hurricanes, through art and writing. UL Laayettstudents, assisted by the English and Art high school aworkshops in the Fall o 2007. Te workshops culminatedat the Festival during which high school students read andtheir work. In addition, they participated in Festival evas lectures and workshops conducted by nationally rproessional writers, olklorists and publishers. Tese paenabled them to work closely with novelists, poets and eglimpse the world o writing, publishing and art.

Writing in the GalleriesUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Judd Jeansonne

wenty UL Laayette students partnered with the UnivMuseum and hurricane impacted 3,000 itle I elementstudents to improve their writing skills through art appeachers in the target schools scheduled a eld trip to the UArt Museum and utilized pre- and post-visit exercises d

address K-12 grade level benchmarks in both languagvisual arts. Students appreciation, knowledge and undersart, improvement o writing skills, as well as condencesteem, were targeted. Tis project also was a unique opor university students to develop their own skills as leproject managers.

COMMUNICATIONS

onsulting as Ser vice-Learningutheastern Louisiana University

r. Suzette Bryan

Tis project incorporated a service-learning component with aaduate class in the Communication Department at Southeasternouisiana University. Te class integrated communication-basedganizational assessment and remediation techniques. Studentsere aorded an opportunity to practice consulting skills byorking at the Parenting Center, a nonprot agency, which wasentied by the St. ammany West Chamber o Commerce.

Te Parenting Center responded to the devastation by Hurricaneatrina by oering classes to amilies about preventing crises asell as intervention classes or divorced amilies.

stablishing Community and University Connections tonhance Disaster Responseniversity o Louisiana at Monroer. Christopher Harris

Te ULM English Department, the Student Success Center ande Freshman Year Seminar collaborated to provide social and

vironmental learning units related to Hurricanes Katrina andta or rst-year students. Learning Communities were createdherein students worked with experts to address hurricane-relatedpics. Students partnered with local relie agencies and sharedeir experiences with local secondary schools.

In-ProcessGreen Education is Key: Understanding the Simple andEconomically Friendly Avenues to be EnvironmentallyResponsibleSoutheastern Louisiana UniversityDr. Amber Narro

Troughout South Louisianas recovery rom Hurricane Katrina,there has been much press involving the possibility o the areacoming back stronger and greener. It is this grants intent toprovide the community with inormation about becoming greenand encourage environmental communication through educationalrecycling programs or junior high students and an Earth Daycelebration at Southeastern Louisiana University which ocuseson the simple ways to go green. Te Cities o Hammond andPonchatoula have begun recycling programs, and the spring 2009public communication class will educate the community aboutthese initiatives. Students will interview local recyclers and expertsin renewable energy to determine which elements people who areon a xed income or who are classied as poverty level may utilizein their lives.


L Laayette students participate in Writing in the Galleries, helping elementary school students writing skills through art appreciation.

tudents perormed duringThe Deep South Festival of Writers, a 42-year-old program reinstated ater a 4-year absence.

Writing in the Galleries, held at the Paul and LuLu Hilliard Art Museum, was a unique opportunity or UL Laayette students to develop leadership skills.


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Cajun ComradesUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Peter Sheppard

Te main objective o this project was or UL Laayette teachereducation candidates, the UL Laayette Center or ChildDevelopment, and the Louisiana Ofce o Public Health to provideacademic assistance to local schools in the Laayette Parish SchoolSystem so that K-8 students would maximize their academicpotential. Because this project was associated with a mathematicsteaching course, it was imperative to monitor the degree to which42 UL Laayette students improved their teaching abilities. Asreported by students through journal reections, class presentations,and nal reports, 88 percent o the students delivered gains in theirteaching abilities. Similarly, 83 percent also mentioned that theyachieved a greater understanding o elementary aged students as aresult o the one-on-one social interaction aorded by the project.Tere was also a report that 100 percent o the 42 ourth gradestudents tutored/mentored by UL Laayette students met thepromotional standards in the respective classrooms and on the stateLEAP test.

Combating ruancy: A Prevention and Remediation Focus orthe N.O. Recovery School DistrictNorthwestern State UniversityDr. Gerra Perkins

Te goal o this project was to provide school counselors in the NewOrleans Recovery School District with the resources and materialsto help parents and students understand the importance o schoolattendance. Approximately 60 students in the Counseling programat Northwestern State University helped design a two-prongedapproach (prevention and remediation) that targeted students andparents and addressed the issue o truancy at the elementary, middleand high school grade levels. Students decision making, problem-solving, creative/critical thinking skills were enhanced; and productsand resources were created that target truancy in the New OrleansRecovery School District.

Everybodys Child: eacher Preparedness in imes oRecoverySoutheastern Louisiana UniversityDr. Cynthia Elliott

Tis service-learning initiative involved collaboration beInternational Center or Everybodys Child at Hostra UnNew York, Southeastern Louisiana University and localagencies in Southeast Louisiana, in an eort to improby better preparing teachers to respond to the needs oand amilies in times o crisis. Te overarching goals o twere to develop a curricular ramework that incorporatlearning pedagogy or enhancing teacher preparedness icatastrophic events and ongoing emergency situations; proessional development that embraces literacy-baseddesigned to support amilies and childrens academic deas well as social and emotional needs; and to establish Lothe Gul Coast Site or the International Center or EChild.

In-ProcessFamilies, Children and Community: UnderstanReplicating the Mahalia Jackson Center Early ChildFamily Learning CenterUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Holly Howat

Tis project will help to support hurricane recovery eimprove conditions in the impoverished Central City neigin New Orleans by collaborating with an existing project bChildhood and Family Learning Foundation to reconprovide services at the Mahalia Jackson Center. Graduatwill conduct evaluation research on the reconstruction pthe initial year o services. Te project is a tremendous opor students o applied research to promote communit while leveraging the impact o existing resources andproductive interaction with numerous community partic

EDUCATION/MENTORING

-ProcessCASA Christmas: Future eachers Serving Central Louisianasisadvantaged Youthorthwestern State Universityr. Michelle Morris

is projects purpose is to partner 75 students rom the universitysucation program with Court Appointed Special Advocates

CASA) to provide inormation about child abuse and neglect,rtiying them as CASA advocates and expanding the CASAhristmas present project. Te project also supports hurricanecovery needs through improving schools and providing bettermmunity social services. NSU students pursuing education as areer path will receive supplemental inormation about child abused neglect which will help them in their uture roles as teachers.

In-Process Ater-School Achievement Program (ASAP)Southeastern Louisiana UniversityDr. ena Golding

Tis is a co llaborative project between Southeastern and a variety ocommunity partners that will enhance the preparation o elementarystudents by utilizing teacher candidates to provide an ater-schoolsupport program or at-risk students who need assistance inmathematics. ASAP will address the hurricane recovery need oimproving schools by working with Louisiana Spirit HurricaneRecovery to counsel those most aected by Hurricane Gustav.Starting in the all o 2009, 25 teacher candidates will engage 50students in grades 1-6 rom our elementary schools in angipahoaParish in a support program that includes tutoring, mentoringactivities, LEAP assistance and personal development activities.Each semester, an additional 25 teacher candidates will be pairedwith an additional 50 elementary students, directly impacting 150teacher candidates and 300 elementary students over three years.


ouisiana Tech provides its students with unique learning opportunities and produces graduates with confdence and leadership skills through The Cyber

Discovery Camp and Studies.

roperly communicating ways to go green to dierent demographics is one o the key lessons in Dr. Amber Narros grant.

outheastern students participating in Green Education is Keyhad opportunities to interview local recyclers and experts in renewable energy to determine

which elements people who are on a fxed income may utilize.


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Louisiana ech SGA Mentoring ProjectLouisiana ech UniversityDr. Glenn Beer

Tis project, led by Louisiana echs Student GovernmentAssociation, initially engaged 50 college students in a one-on-onementoring relationship with 50 ninth-grade students rom ourhigh schools in Lincoln Parish. Te mentoring provided continuoussupport in the orm o tutoring, college preparatory assistanceand social activities. Each year, an additional 50 college studentswere paired with an additional 50 high school students, directlyimpacting 150 high school students over three years. Mentors alsoreached out to rural schools through the Louisiana GEAR UPprogram. eams o mentors traveled to 39 middle and high schoolsto provide mentoring and support through E xplorers Clubs at eacho the schools. Tis project aided recovery by increasing the numbero low-income students that graduate rom high school and pursuepostsecondary education.

In-ProcessNSU utors Reaching Near and FarNorthwestern State UniversityDr. Michael Cundall, Jr.

NSU tutors consists o undergraduates rom all major elds o studyor the provision o ree tutoring, mentoring, and related services to

at least 40 at-risk youth to oster students literacy, numeracy andsocial skills. Te goal is to reach and work with at-risk students inthe local and outlying school districts in hopes o building strongcommunity relationships that will strengthen students academicskills, with tutoring being available our days a week or two hourseach. Te proposed grant expands the current programs eorts andgoals and extends its reach and impact through weekend events andincreased accessibility or students outside the area.

In-ProcessOne Campus One Community: A Mentoring ProgCommunity PartnershipNicholls State UniversityDr. Michele Caruso

Tis project will be conducted by the Division o Studeand Enrollment Management and will consist o pairingstudents with 50 middle and high school students withinradius o the university. Te courses will emphasize tucollege preparatory assistance activities. Te students willsocial activities that will broaden their horizons and them with uture opportunities, including higher educaproject will ocus on acilitating engagement between tho Nicholls and the surrounding communities, pairing an50 college and 50 K-12 students each year to impact students over three years.

Project MAD: Making a DierenceUniversity o Louisiana at MonroeDr. Phyllis Sanders

Te ULM Colleges o Education & Human DevelopNursing provided Booker . Community Outreach inLouisiana which serves at-risk populations with stratresources necessary or improving the community. Te

to increase educational and community awareness by inormation and resources available at the local and stapopulations at-risk or environmental and social isolaticitizens o the John Breaux Assisted Living Communitycare acility or senior citizens located in the heart o thschools, were also impacted by the program.

EDUCATION/MENTORING

uture eachers: Outreach and Empowermentith echnologyniversity o Louisiana at Monroer. Mike Beutner

LM education students collaborated with local schools to created disseminate a visual campaign regarding relie and disaster

orts. Participating students devoted time, eort and energy ine creation and dissemination o positive and optimistic messagesrough the use o postersa visual campaign to transorm bare

alls into a transormative environment. Tis proposal empoweredudents to learn, use and apply skills and knowledge to conductvisual campaign with common technology resources available atost schools.

Learning to Serve is Learning to LeadNicholls State UniversityDr. James Barr

Tis grant partnered students o the College o Education at Nichollswith local schools and the community to organize reading tutorprograms, mentor training and amily literacy programs to create acommunity inrastructure that can support learning should the areabe aected by uture storms. Te project supported the hurricanerecovery eorts by helping students catch up in their readingskills; preparing or uture disasters within the school communityand by the storm by building sel-help networks o students andamilies that can maintain the local education o children. Te ocuso the activities was on developing and enhancing the literacy skillso children and parents in areas aected by Hurricanes Katrina andRita.


ervice-Learning is un. The more memorable the initiative is and the more sustainable the program is, the more it will impact the lives o the students

nd the community.

ducation majors teaching students through dierent avenues can help both parties achieve success o their current goals.

nvironmental Science programs educate students on the importance o protecting the many dierent ecosystems and their importance to human sur-

val.


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In-ProcessService Project: Multimodality Language Learning in ChildrenLouisiana ech UniversityDr. Kerri Phillips

Te goal o the project is to utilize multimodality learning andlow-cost technology materials to enable children displaced duringemergencies with strategies to promote continuity o learning. Tisgrant hopes to improve educational opportunities or childrenthrough the use o low-cost technological support; and help studentsgain an understanding o the diversity o classroom teachingstrategies needed when children displaced during emergencies aremerged into new academic environments.

In-ProcessTe Solution, Act II: A Mentoring ProgramLouisiana ech UniversityDr. Linda Grin

Tis grant plans to utilize 50 o Louisiana echs Student GovernmentAssociation students to mentor 50 eighth grade students rom ourLincoln Parish high schools. Te program is ocused on academictutoring, social interactions, and eld trips to assist high schoolstudents in acquiring greater levels o understanding o technologyand communication skills. Resources, inormation and opportunitiesavailable through the Department o Education, will reinorce theirability to compete in the workorce. Public schools most impacted

by the hurricanes will benet rom mentors to assist in the ongoingchallenge o motivating young people to complete their highschool education. Career exploration sessions led by a LicensedProessional Counselor or intern will provide mentees with aunique opportunity to take career assessment and to use resourcesin the Career Resource Laboratory. In improving numeracy andliteracy, students also gain access to career technology which theycan transport and apply as they progress in high school.

utoring Middle Grade Students in Reading and WritGrambling State UniversityDr. Doris Williams-Smith

Seventy GSU undergraduate students seeking middcertication were trained to assist 108 Hurricane Katrinmiddle grade students in improving their writing abperormance on standardized writing assessments. Ater dtraining materials or reading and writing tutors, aprogram was instituted. Members o the Middle LevLearning Leadership eam collected and analyzed the tutors, students and parents regarding the eectiventutor relationships. Tey also organized celebrations or08 all and spring semesters. At the conclusion o the pleadership team presented their ndings and lessons leathe implementation o the project during conerence preand proessional development sessions or K-12 teauniversity aculty.

In-ProcessUniversity o Louisiana at Monroe Warhawks MProgramUniversity o Louisiana at MonroeDr. Wayne Brumfeld

Tis project will utilize 50 careully trained students

College o Arts and Sciences to mentor 50 ninth grade hstudents rom Wossman High School and Carroll Hig Trough one-on-one relationships, the mentors wpersonal and academic guidance, encouragement and college and career readiness skills training to ensure thagain basic skills and inormation to succeed in high sbeyond. Individualized attention, special events and exULMs campus and students will help mentees begin totheir potential and to develop specic plans or uture su

EDUCATION/MENTORING

-Processroject Soar: Launching a Proessional Development Schoolniversity o Louisiana at Monroer. Lynn Clark

is project is designed to provide targeted interventions in readingd writing or the Monroe City School and Cypress Pointniversity Elementary sites (rst-th grade students), practicalplication o teacher preparation course content or College oducation and Human Development participants (junior yearacher candidates), and opportunities or ongoing relationshipstween university participants and site recipients. Te studentpulation at these schools reects the long-term academic needsmany o the communities aected by Hurricane Katrina, such asclining literacy rates, absenteeism and emotional or behavioralsorders. Te UL System Service Learning grant will enhance theisting relationship with Cypress Point by providing essential andstainable resources to meet the needs o all stakeholders.

In-ProcessReading and Writing in Circles: Improving Eighth-GradeEnglish Language Arts SkillsMcNeese State UniversityDr. Delma McLeod-Porter

Tis project will utilize 25 English Education majors and tutorsrom the Write to Excellence Center to conduct reading circles o4-6 students or 25 eighth-grade students rom Oak Park MiddleSchool in Calcasieu Parish. Te program will be sustained byadding 10 new mentor/tutors each semester. Students will improvetheir reading and writing skills, develop an ability to discuss literaryelements and learn to write critically about eelings that emergerom discussing literature. In addition to enhancing these skills,the program will also introduce students and their amilies to theresources and opportunities available through the Department oEducation, with amily night discussions emphasizing the importanceo preparing or college and careers, testing strategies, OPSrequirements, nancial aid programs and scholarship opportunities.


he Nature Conservancy, Grand Isle State Park, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Grand Isle community collaborated to provide

tudents to see frst-hand the eects o marine hurricane debris on a Louisiana barrier island.

lthough not a part o the UL System service-learning grant, ULM does oer a myriad o counseling services to the community, which allows graduate

tudents practice in their feld.

r. High students in the Hammond area participated in Earth Day events that helped them learn about recycling.


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Conducting Home Energy Conservation Audits in HurricaneRecovery AreasUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Gholam H. Massiha

Te goal o this project entailed conducting testing and communityeducation in the area o home energy conservation and energyreduction to Lo uisiana homeowners. Construction course studentsrom UL Laayette Industrial echnology Department wereintroduced to energy saving practices and processes by calculatingenergy use in a house and designing ways to reduce energyconsumption. Students and volunteers conducted energy surveys onarea houses and the data was disseminated to educate homeownerson energy guide labels, appliance energy use, and general energyconservation. Students and aculty involved in this project conductedpresentations and workshops during the spring o 2008 and 2009Acadiana Home Builders Shows and SLEMCO annual meetingin Laayette.

Construction and Enhancement o the Living WetlandsLearning Center at Laayette Middle SchoolUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Gri Blakewood

An environmental issue critical to Louisiana is coastal erosion;an issue especially heightened rom Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.o combat this, UL Laayette students rom the Department o

Renewable Resources assisted Laayette Middle School studentsin creating a series o outdoor learning stations/classrooms wheremiddle school students learned about a range o environmental topicsocusing on coastal ecology and restoration. Te project includedthe design and placement o inormative signs, situating an outdoorclassroom, remodeling an existing classroom or vermiculturestudies, construction o both a shade house and a greenhouse orthe propagation o plants to be used in wetland restoration, and theestablishment o plants representing a native orest ecosystem and anative prairie ecosystem around the existing wetland.

In-ProcessEarthquake Simulation Room or Te IDEA PlaceLouisiana ech UniversityDr. Melvin R. Corley

Tis project will design and construct an earthquake simulaor Te IDEA Place, an interactive, non-prot, childremuseum that inspires children towards learning about scmathematics. Te room will simulate what a real earthqlike. Users will be able to select amous earthquakes anmagnitude o the waves beneath their eet. Tis project wstimulate the minds o children and uel their passion sciences. Although residents o Louisiana do not expemagnitude o earthquakes, this project will help them what Caliornians experience and will inspire theCaliornia residents in a time o need just as they did or ater Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav.

In-ProcessEnvironmental Awareness Service Projects or Low InHomesUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Gholam H. Massiha

Te goal o this project is or students rom the CEngineering at UL Laayette to perorm energy and envitesting on low income homes in recent hurrican

communities in hopes o enticing the homeowners to insulation, purchase energy-efcient appliances, and menergy consumption habits. Te data gathered rom thestudents and volunteers, which may include an inspectbuilding envelope (insulation levels, windows, doors, aetc.), as well as heating and cooling systems will be dissemeducate homeowners on energy guide labels, appliance eand general energy conservation.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

-ProcessAdvocation o Math, Science, and Environmental Issues inocal Schoolsniversity o Louisiana at Laayetter. William Chirdon

Tis project encompasses a Math, Science and Environmentalwareness Day conducted by approximately 40 members o ULLsIChE (American Institute o Chemical Engineers). Studentsll visit one elementary, middle and high school within the parishdiscuss the need or recycling, energy and water conservationd the eects o pollution on the local environment to over 900

udents. Given recent history with respect to natural disasters,ising awareness o these issues is critical. Each school will alsoceive a poster to keep the students motivated in math, science,d environmental issues to complement student discussions.

Assessment o Rural Well Water Quality in Southwest Louisianain the Post-Rita EraMcNeese State UniversityDr. Wejiin Dong

Tis project was designed to address two major needs identied bythe Louisiana Recovery Authorityestablishing the need to restorecoastal areas (which requires sae drinking water) and protectingthe environment (which requires the prevention o contaminateddrinking water.) Te project identied areas in SouthwestLouisiana that needed water quality assessment ater HurricaneRita. Te participants included citizens rom rural communitiesin Southwest Louisiana, students and aculty rom McNeese StateUniversity, and sta scientists rom Louisiana Department oEnvironmental Quality (Lake Charles Ofce) and Calcasieu ParishHealth Unit. Students learned and received training as to how touse water analysis equipment to assess drinking water quality andto reect on how they use the training and skills learned to servetheir communities.


Mapping the Future Landscape for Two Southwestern Louisiana Parishes allowed students to use spatial statistics tools to fnd the best areas in Calcasieu

nd Cameron Parishes to mitigate hurricane impact on the landscape.

onstruction and Enhancement of the Living Wetlands Learning Center at Lafayette Middle School included design and placement o inormative signs to

ducate middle school students about coastal ecology and restoration.

Dr. Amber Narros project, Green Education is Key, ocuses on providing communities with inormation on protecting the environment.


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In-ProcessMapping the Future Landscape or wo Southwestern LouisianaParishesLouisiana ech UniversityDr. Bogdan Strimbu

Te project identied areas in Calcasieu and Cameron Parisheswhere new parks and open spaces could be developed and howexisting parks could be enhanced to endure hurricanes. Studentsenrolled in the Geographic Inormation Science program atLouisiana ech University processed remote sensing images anddigital maps or the two parishes to better understand how to usegeographic inormation sotware and enhance a series o plansand maps or Cameron Parish and the City o Vinton to identiythe best location or parks and open spaces to mitigate hurricaneimpact on the landscape. Te project also determined the bestspecies composition that would minimize the orce o hurricanes.

Marine Debris Removal at Grand Isle State ParkNicholls State UniversityDr. Allyse Ferrara

Students o Nicholls State University, GISP (Grand Isle StatePark), Te Nature Conservancy, National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration, and the Grand Isle community joined together toprovide students with an opportunity to see rst-hand the eect

o marine hurricane debris on Louisiana barrier islands througheducational seminars and observations. Students removed litterrom a Louisiana barrier island; providing participants with rst-hand knowledge o Lo uisianas litter problem and about the negativeimpacts o marine debris and litter on ecolo gical processes.

In-ProcessProject RUNbusUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Barbara C. Benson

RUNbus is an exhibition vehicle that provides an excitinlearning about environmental protection, sustainability,entrepreneurshipissues that were heightened as a rehurricanes. It utilizes a collaborative team o UL Laayetteenvironmentalists and entertainers to reach out to communities. RUNbus participants study and help raiseabout progressive concepts such as sustainable living stratepromoting existing eorts in the community. It is a reurbpassenger school bus ueled by used cooking oil that exhibidemonstrations o clean energy, community-based ood pnatural building strategies and conscious consume

Study o Mold and Moisture Control in South Construction Atermath o 2005 HurricanesUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Herbert Hebert

Te goal o this project was to conduct research and comptesting o hurricane-aected homes or moisture and mowith a goal o recommending advances in technologyenergy efcient and sae housing materials. Te researchthis project helped to advance the technology in energ

housing materials and processes in residential constructionand aculty involved in this project conducted presentaworkshops in the spring 2007 Blue Print Show that toothe Laayette Convention Center.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

nvironmental Podcastingniversity o Louisiana at Monroer. Tillainataraja Sivakumaran

an eort to better prepare ULM students and teachers on theuse and eects o hurricanes, related saety procedures and howhelp protect the environment, ULM designed three technology-riched service-learning projects. Tey were: Exploring Hurricanesay, Environmental Summer Camp and eacher & I Coordinatorsechnology Development Day. Te overarching goals o thisoject were to inorm stakeholders about the causes, eects andety procedures needed during hurricanes, and to use technologycreate Podcasts on the eects o hurricanes and saety proceduresr schools or communities. Students learned about climate change,astal erosion and ozone depletion; created Podcasts on the causes,

ects and ways to help prevent environmental damages; andveloped a website that displays the above-mentioned projects to

udents and teachers throughout the state.

Louisiana Lower Atmosphere Research Collaborative:Service-LearningUniversity o Louisiana at MonroeDr. Boniace Mills

Te Geosciences Department at ULM created partnerships withthree academically unacceptable K-12 public schools in thenorthern, central and southern coastal regions o Louisiana tobuild a comprehensive database o the lower atmosphere composedo rocketsondes (temperature, pressure latitude, longitude andelevation data). Tis data is useul or hurricane characterizationand protection. Te project not only helped university students gainpractical experience in real-time data collection and distribution,but also connected children and teachers to math and science as keyparticipants in an authentic scientic enterprise.


niversity o Louisiana at Monroes Dr. Thillainataraja Sivakumaran instructs students in the new state-o-the-art Digital Media Studio, unded in part by a

LS Serves Grant rom Learn and Serve America.

UNbus exhibits demonstrations o cleaner energy, community-based ood production, natural building strategies and conscious consumer choices.

Dr. Gri Blakewoods project at Laayette Middle School saw UL Laayette Renewable Resource students build a greenhouse or the propagation o plants

o be used in wetlands restoration.


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Be Our GuestNicholls State UniversityDr. Pamela Kirkley

Golden Learning Opportunities (GLO) is a program or seniors agety and o ver who are interested in learning, increasing cooperationand who enjoy interacting or exchanging with others. Te project gave43 Nicholls students an opportunity to serve an impacted communitywith hurricane recovery, support and resources rom NSU. Te goalo this project was to restructure GLOs classes and to promote theLouisiana Spirit Hurricane Recovery Program. In just ve weeksthere were strong bonds ormed between students, employees andinstructors and all developed unorgettable memories.

In-ProcessCoping Skills and Disaster Recovery Strategies or Low-IncomeParentsMcNeese State UniversityDr. Allison Gibbons

Te overall goal o the project is to improve community socialservices in Southwest Louisiana by exposing low-income parents toinormation on coping skills and recovery strategies, including howto access available community resources. Tis will require studentsto be involved in activities which include identiying crisis needso low-income parents in the ve-parish area through an interview

process structured as a research activity; preparing and publishing aParents Resource Guide that provides inormation and guidelineson accessing community resources as well as inormation on amilycoping strategies; and holding ace-to-ace ocus groups with samplegroups o parents in the ve-parish area.

Working with kinesiology studenthe University o Louisiana at M

the CPR at School raining pbrought important lie-saving

my students. Our elementary schlearned to identiy the signs and

to take when someone is in distreresult, our students are more respor their personal saety and kn

can make a dierence when ito assisting victims o heart atta

choking emergencies. I truly belresult o our partnership with ULsome o my students may choose the medical eld and uture lives

Renee M

Science Lakeshore EleMonroe, L

FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES

In-ProcessA Head Start or Family and Consumer Sciences: Mentoring byUL Laayette Hospitality Management StudentsUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteMs. Becky Dubois

Tis project pairs senior level UL Laayette Hospitality Management(HRM) interns with Acadiana high school programs to oerFamily and Consumer Sciences (FCS) programs. Tese internsprovide over 250 high school students with support on technicalindustry skills, career paths, postsecondary education opportunitiesand industry certications. Tey also mentor the FCS students orlocal, state and national competitions held each year. Te projectaims to create and oster an ongoing relationship with the FCSprograms in Acadiana and to ultimately create an awareness othe possibilities in the educational sector or youth interested inthe oodservice industry. By training and investing in youth today,Acadiana will continue to see job growth, economic success anda trained workorce that will help to withstand and recover romuture catastrophic events, such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustavand Ike, and ensure quick recovery.


kills learned in Family and Consumer Science grant projects can be valuable in many acets o the workorce such as construction, architecture and

ashion design.

McNeese student receives a Lake Charles key to the city pin atX-treme Spring Break.

amily and Consumer Science service-learning programs provide students with real-world training that includes providing services or the elderly to support

he arts and culture.

n this nal year o the ULS Servesrant, the Nicholls community can be

uite proud o its accomplishments.Nicholls aculty, sta and students

olunteered approximately 176,000

ours o service in 2008 and thisear, the university is establishing

mentoring program that ocuses

n Pre-K-12 partnerships. Service-arning is indeed a recognized

rength o this university.

Dr. Stephen Hulbert

President

Nicholls State University


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Hurricane Devastation Photographic ExhibitionLouisiana ech UniversityDr. V. Elaine Tompson

Tis was a multi-disciplinary project designed to produce aproessional-quality, mobile photographic exhibition showcasingimages o hurricane devastation in South Louisiana. A collection ophotographs taken on several trips to the area in early 2006 documentthe devastation and the earliest attempts at recovery. Incorporatingstudents and aculty rom six departments on campus, this projectencompassed the notion o a multi-disciplinary service-learningendeavor. History students served as curators o this exhibit whilegraphic design students conceived the layout or the images. Teyalso identied appropriate themes, selected the photographs to beincluded and wrote the script to provide context or the images.By training students to become public historians, a new generationo proessionals who have the knowledge to produce high-qualityeducational exhibits and programming or the general public willemerge.

Improving the Schools, Reducing Crime, and Supporting theArts and CultureGrambling State UniversityDr. Ellen Smiley

Students rom Earl Lester Cole Honors College and those enrolledin musical ensembles at GSU worked together to preserve L ouisiana

culture. Troughout the semester, proessors educated the studentsabout Louisiana culture, possible career paths in music and the useo music as a deterrent to harmul behavior. Over 200 studentstraveled to two Hurricane Katrina aected schools in New Orleans(O. Perry Walker and Saint Augustine High Schools) where theyhad an opportunity to see rsthand the schools rebuilding eorts.Te UL System students were also able to oer valuable eedback toover 1000 high sc hool students through workshops and individualdiscussions.

In-ProcessMarine Debris Becomes Art with a MessageNicholls State UniversityDr. Allyse Ferrara

Te plans or this project are to remove litter rom theGrand Isle State Park (GISP) to create an exhibit o marsculptures in hopes to provide participants with knowleLouisianas litter problem and the negative impacts odebris on ecological processes, and to contribute to a mardatabase. Trough educational seminars, rsthand obcreation or viewing the exhibit, participants will becoeducated about the sources and ecological impacts Members o Nicholls State University, GISP, Nationaand Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Gcommunity will work together on this project. Ater witnlarge amount o litter that accrues on Louisiana beaches,ater hurricanes, participants may think twice beore imdisposing o trash.

In-ProcessService-Learners and the Oak Park Middle OrchestraMcNeese State UniversityDr. Michael Buckles

Tis project seeks to provide quality string music iwith high quality instruments, teacher support and ski

playing undergraduates rom McNeese or the enand advancement o the Oak Park Middle orchestra Because o the continuing recovery eorts in Lake ChaHurricanes Rita and Ike, the provision o quality art inor those who can least aord it will help to enhance tho lie o this population as well as the community at lservice-learners will participate in many o the activitiesby teachers aides, such as classroom setup, paperwork, management, participation in rehearsals, conducting inspecic rehearsals and tutoring those with special needs

FINE ARTS

cadiana Food & Folklore Media Initiative: Preserving Cultured Promoting ourism Recovery

niversity o Louisiana at Laayetter. Charles Richard

udents rom UL Laayettes Cinematic Arts Workshop alongth the L aayette Convention & Visitors Commission, the Centerr Cultural & Ecotourism, South Louisiana Community College,d the Academy o Inormation echnology at Carencro Highhool studied, documented, conserved and promoted unique

ouisiana cultural assets that attract visitors and economic vitality.Te project targeted businesses and customs severely aected

disasters, in risk o disappearing or situated in disadvantagedmmunities. Trough the use o digital video, audio, photographyd text, a rich multimedia experience o South Louisiana oodd olk heritage was assembled. Preservation o the communitys

orm-damaged cultural inrastructure and restoration o tourismbs and income was achieved.

Angels on the Bayou RestorationNicholls State UniversityDr. Carol Britt

Tirty-nine Nicholls and L.E. Fletcher echnical CommunityCollege students joined with over 90 errebonne High School andPointe Aux Chene Elementary students to restore the Angels onthe Bayou sculpture garden damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Duringthe spring o 2007, Nicholls students set out to begin restorationon the Chauvin Sculptures Garden in Chauvin, Louisiana whileat the same time an art restoration consultant rom InternationalArtiacts instructed students on art preservation. A lecture wasgiven to seventy-six errebonne High School students at theNSU Art Studio in Chauvin where the students participated inthe restoration process. As the sculptures are located in an areathat readily oods, the communitys awareness and education inrestoration will prove benecial as similar needs arise in the uture.


Members o Gramblings music ensemble perorm or high schools aected by Hurricane Katrina as part o Dr. Ellen Smileys grant.

tudents rom Pointe-Aux-Chenes Elementary were taught how to restore sculptures damaged in Hurricane Katrina during the grant titled Angels on the

Bayou.

mproving the Schools, Reducing Crime, and Supporting the Arts and Cultureeducated high school students on how to use music as a deterrent orarmul behavior.


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My service-learning experia mentor with the Oak Park M

School Orchestra benetedand, more importantly, the or

students. Te students weregrasp undamentals and concep

easily when they were reinorcsource other than their primary

Te project provided me with invexperiences as I had to bec

instructor, role model, and counthe students. As there are an exlimited number o orchestra prin our area, working with this

gave both students and myopportunity to advocate or or

programs. I am thankul that I hopportunity to serve and

Paul RS

McNeese State Un

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

-Processxpanding Services to a Growing Hispanic CommunitycNeese State Universityr. Diane Kim Bowman

Tis grant will provide needed services to the growing number oispanic amilies in Lake Charles by initiating a service-learningogram that matches students rom Spanish class at MSU witha Familia Resource Center and associated area agencies. Posturricanes Katrina and Rita, a tremendous surge o HispanicsLouisiana has occurred, many o whom require social services.cNeese students will practice cooperative learning with studentsd acilitators; evaluate and increase their linguistic and culturalills and match these with community needs.

In-ProcessStrengthening English Skills o Children o Immigrants through

utoringLouisiana ech UniversityDr. Greg Schelonka

Tis project serves the needs o primary school students in the NorthCentral Louisiana area who do not speak E nglish or who strugglewith the English language. Many o these amilies arrived in thearea post hurricanes to assist in recovery. Louisiana ech studentswill teach English as a Second Language and engage in a culturalexchange. Tis experience will allow students to make connectionsnot only with immediate members o the local community but alsowith the subjects o literary and cultural works about which theyhave learned in their studies o the Spanish language and Hispaniccultures.


McNeese State University receives monies or a mentoring program designed to aid the growing Hispanic communities in Lake Charles.

tudents can learn through a variety o mediums. Participating in the local culture o the campus can give insight into a variety o customs and traditions.

Mentoring programs are proven to enhance the lives o both the mentor and the mentee and can have a proound impact when cross-cultural interactions

ccur.


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between schools and amilies on the health o children and

acquisition o nutrition skills. Healthy eating and exercise are waysto help children prepare or uture traumatic events and ultimatelyalleviate stress that can directly lead to obesity.

In-ProcessCooking Up a StormSoutheastern Louisiana UniversityDr. Colleen Klein-Ezell

Te projects goal is to provide children with the knowledgenecessary to make healthy ood choices, to prepare healthy mealsor their amilies by creating an inclusive vegetable/herb gardenand developing a cookbook eaturing the produce grown in thegardens. Nutrition/academic lessons will provide opportunitiesor university volunteers to develop activities on nutrition andsupport interdisciplinary learning in math, science, social studiesand language arts by developing activities based on state curriculumstandards. As a result o this project, amilies in the communitywill have more knowledge about eating healthier oods and theimportance o good nutrition.

In-ProcessFood or Tought: Linking Nutrition, Health and SchoolPerormanceUniversity o Louisiana at MonroeDr. Dorothy Schween

Students rom ULMs College o Nursing and College o Education

and Human Development will collaborate to increase awareness oproper nutrition and healthy ood choices or students at CarrollHigh School, Carroll Junior High and Lincoln Elementary School.In-services, activities and guidance to aculty, sta, students andparents in these schools will be provided. Tis project hopes toimprove lie or both students and amilies displaced to the area byHurricanes Gustav and Ike and strengthen school and communitybonds.

In-Process

Green Foods: Local Organics and Healthul LivingNorthwestern State UniversityDr. Michael Cundall, Jr.

Seniors in the NSU L ouisiana Scholars College will condulecture on locally produced oods, organic oods and healchoices. Te panel o speakers or this seminar will incLouisiana growers, armers, ranchers and experts on nutstatewide need or improved health intersects directly wgrowing, environmentally sustainable ood choices andto attempt to develop more local resources to urther suliving. A strong community bond among residents will ato rely on and lend support to one another during emsuch as hurricanes, and the recovery eorts that ollow.

Project FI: Fitness through Intergenerational eamwUniversity o Louisiana at LaayetteDr. Claire Foret

Kinesiology and dietetic students joined orces with theGeneral Medical Center and Laayette Parish schools nutrition and tness programs that linked children with ol Tis project demonstrated the procedures involved innutrition and tness o ch

ul system service-learning report 2009

Documents