Initial Curators: Jenna Dell, Ed.D &Cali Cornacchia, Service Year Alliance

Introduction

This Knowledge Hub provides resources for faculty and staff interested in supporting alumni of service year programs on their campus, creating a service year connected to academic credit, or providing opportunities for faculty and staff to support service initiatives. Service Year Alliance believes that the incorporation of a year of service into the post-secondary education experience will better prepare students to complete their degrees, secure meaningful employment, and become lifelong engaged citizens. Service years in higher education have the power to attract students, enliven education, and put graduates on pathways to careers.

Key resources

A) MAKING THE CASE FOR SERVICE YEAR IN HIGHER EDUCATION

This section contains articles and studies to show to stakeholders the value that a service year has for students.

• Weissbourd, Richard; Thacker, Lloyd; Anderson, Trisha Ross; Cashin, Alison; Feigenberg, Luba Falk; & Kahn, Jennifer. Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good through College Admissions. Making Caring
• Common Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  Astin, Alexander W.; & Sax, Linda J. (1998) How Undergraduates are Affected By Service Participation. Journal of College Student Development. 39(3) 251-263.
• Cardazone et al., (2015). AmeriCorps Alumni Outcomes. Corporation for National and Community Service.
• Martin, Carmel; Miller, Ben; Rawal, Shiv; & Sweet, Phoebe. (2015) Credit for Serving: A New Vision for National Service in Higher Education. Center for American Progress.
• Spera, Christopher; Ghertner, Robin; Nerino, Anthony; DiTommaso, Adrienne; Volunteering As A Pathway To Employment: Does Volunteering Increase Odds of Finding a Job for the Out of Work? Corporation for National and Community Service.

B) INCORPORATING A SERVICE YEAR ON YOUR CAMPUS

This sections includes resources designed to help campuses integrate service year experiences on their campus

• Service Year + Higher Education Engagement Opportunities 
• Connecting Service Years to Academic Credit 
• Creating a Service Year Program Toolkit
• Service Year Program Extension Guide 
• Funding White Paper 
• AmeriCorps Partnership Challenge (Ed-award only support) 

C) RECRUITING SERVICE YEAR MEMBERS

This section provides tools and best practices to help you recruit students to participate in a service year program at your university and search for  service year positions across the country.

• Service Year Exchange (an online marketplace to post your open positions and search for corps members) 
• Benefits of a Service Year PDF 
• Service Year Recruitment Best Practices 
• CNCS Knowledge Network Recruitment page 

Organizations

• Service Year Alliance
  Service Year Alliance is an organization working to make a year of service a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans as a way to tackle important challenges while transforming their own lives.
• Corporation for National and Community Service
  The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve.
• American Gap Association (AGA)
  American Gap Association advocates for increased participation in Gap Year education through the meaningful accreditation of safe and quality organizations, the proliferation of Gap Year Scholarships, and the continued research of Gap Year student outcomes.

Exemplars

• Tufts University 4 + 1 Bridge Program
  This program provides accepted students the opportunity to complete a year of full-time community service before beginning their academic studies at Tufts and enrollment in a blended-learning Tufts University course
• College of William & Mary Community Engagement Fellowships
  This program give recent William & Mary graduates a public service experience to further develop their citizenship and work for community change.
• Tulane AmeriCorps Fellows Program
  The Tulane AmeriCorps Fellows Program supports Tulane AmeriCorps VISTA Fellows that are placed in local non-profits dealing with poverty eradication that have a relationship with Tulane.

Other Useful Information

If you are interested in more information, please consider joining the Service Year Higher Education Learning Community. Email Dr. Jenna Dell at jdell@serviceyear.org.