Historically, Owens Community College has offered diverse programs that support first-year college students and ease their transitions to college life. In 2011, Campus Compact funded Owens and eight other community colleges in Florida, Ohio, and Washington (together with the Compact’s related state affiliates) to implement an ambitious pilot program called Connect2Complete (C2C). Through two distinct strategies—course-based peer-to-peer advocacy and peer-assisted service-learning—C2C supports vulnerable students in achieving academic success and credential completion while they actively engage with their peers, their college, and their broader community. These strategies encourage academic development, social integration, personal development, and civic consciousness—all key factors for student persistence. To say that the Connect2Complete pilot program catapulted the service-learning initiative at Owens would be an understatement. This program and its essential elements offered Owens an unexpected opportunity to create a relevant and meaningful plan of practice for service-learning. At the same time, the pilot created a platform for a dedicated, permanent staff to support peer-assisted service-learning.

Institutionalizing Service-Learning and Peer Advocacy at Owens Community College is a report of the lessons from C2C in Owens Community College.