At Roger Williams University, we believe the college experience should encompass a lot more than classroom study and on-campus activities. In fact, engaging in the local community can play a major role in helping students to create post-graduation paths. With a daylong service program part of the freshman-year Weeks of Welcome program, service to the community plays a part in students’ lives from the day they arrive on campus. And for each of them, myriad service opportunities throughout the year mean endless chances to connect and serve the communities in which they live.
In The News!
Roger Williams University has been awarded 4 slots in the 2009 Scholarships for Service (SFS) Recovery program, a one-time infusion of federal funds as part of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Scholarships for Service Recovery program will mobilize a total of 44 students from colleges across Rhode Island to assist local nonprofits in direct response to the economic crisis and lack of summer employment opportunities for college students.
Several corps members will serve at the Department of Labor and Training Youth Workforce Development Centers, the Pawtucket Boys and Girls Clubs, and at other non-profit agencies throughout the state. The program runs from May 15, 2009 through October 1, 2009. RWU Scholarships for Service corps members will participate in the minimum-time/300 hour program, earning a living allowance of $1,710 and an education award of $1,000 and will serve primarily in the Bristol area.
The program will be facilitated on college campuses by the Rhode Island Campus Compact with federal funding provided through Serve Rhode Island, who received $1,251,305 in funds from the Economic Recovery Act. Funds have been awarded to 8 different organizations to support 69 new AmeriCorps members in service to nonprofit organizations throughout the state. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Rhode Island ranks 4th in the nation for college student volunteerism. This funding will enable students to continue to build on this proud tradition while meeting their own, real needs for summer employment and hands-on career experience.
RWU has participated in the AmeriCorps Scholarships for Service program since 2005. Forty students have served 12,000 hours in a wide range of non-profit agencies in Rhode Island. Scholarships for Service corps members earn a $1,000 education award for their service. The RWU Scholarships for Service program is facilitated by the Feinstein Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement.
Staggering Service Statistics for Community Service in 2007-2008 have been announced! Over 47,600 hours of service were provided by RWU Students in RI and Southern Mass.
Here is a snapshot of service that our 2009 grads can take pride in. They were part of a 66% increase over their first three years of activity on Campus.
| Hours By Topic |
2005-2006 |
2006-2007 |
2007-2008 |
| Animals and the Environment |
7,623 |
4,222 |
5,211 |
| Architecture, Historic Preservation and History |
2,186 |
3,538 |
4,577 |
| Arts |
387 |
1,588 |
1,026 |
| Business and Entrepreneurial Endeavors |
410 |
701 |
1,762 |
| Community Development |
1,331 |
3,384 |
7,272 |
| Elder Support |
1,013 |
1,203 |
1,495 |
| Health and Support Agencies |
2,642 |
5,897 |
10,350 |
| Hunger and Housing |
1,713 |
1,739 |
5,036 |
| Literacy |
2,400 |
4,338 |
2,123 |
| Social and Political Advocacy |
3,275 |
1,290 |
2,630 |
| Youth; Sports and Education |
3,365 |
4,441 |
4,476 |
| Homeland Security |
2,301 |
2,506 |
1,642 |
RWU Honored for Community Service Efforts
Our students, faculty and staff have completed a record 34,846 hours of service in 2007. This shows that the University has a true committment to community service.
As a result of our success, the Corporation for National and Community Service named RWU to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, this past February, for the University’s exceptional service efforts. We were recognized “with distinction,” one of just 127 schools in the nation to achieve this status.
Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. All of the hard work has definately paid off!
Campus Compact is a coalition of nearly 1,100 college and university presidents — representing some 6 million students — who are committed to fulfilling the public purposes of higher education. As the only national association dedicated to this mission, Campus Compact is a leader in building civic engagement into campus and academic life.
We recently moved to the Farmhouse behind the Commons. Come visit!