Campus Community Collaborations
Examples & Resources for Community Colleges

Three converging elements prompted the development of a 1995 grant proposal for Pennsylvania Service Scholars through AmeriCorps National Service at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), Boyce Campus: support of service-learning by the CCAC president, Dr. John M. Kingsmore; leadership of Dr. Jacqueline Taylor (Vice President and Executive Dean of CCAC, Boyce Campus) in Campus Compact organizations in Michigan and Pennsylvania; and a twenty-five-year history at Boyce Campus in student volunteer service activities. A partnership proposal in concert with the Monroeville Chamber of Commerce and the nine campus service area school districts, including the Area Vocational-Technical School, provided three Pennsylvania Service Scholars with the opportunity to develop solutions to locally identified needs.

Central to the partnership was the provision of service-learning, career exploration and mentoring activities for at-risk K-12 students enrolled in the Boyce Campus service area. This was the first set of challenges for the Service Scholars: What are our tasks? How do we get started? Who can provide us with the information we need?

With the assistance of the Campus Administrative Support Team, the students began to explore their available resources. These reconnaissance missions enabled the students to develop myriad skills. For example, they needed to review the grant proposal and define the goals and objectives in terms that enhanced their own comfort level with the project. Once this was accomplished, a plan was devised. They demonstrated both initiative and creativity in contacting campus resources, as well as community contacts to garner information that enabled them to become familiar with available resources. Interpersonal skills were enhanced as they discerned community needs. They also experienced the successful navigation of various systems and processes. Throughout the year, the Service Scholars matured through self-discovery and self-assessment opportunities and developed into a cohesive team.

As educators, we recognize that not all learning takes place in the classroom. This was especially true for the Service Scholars. Through team meetings on campus, regional meetings at the various participating colleges and universities, community agency interactions, conferences, seminars with local superintendents and principals, and workshops with other students, the team learned many lessons and completed the required preparation work and follow-up activities. Preparing the quarterly reports and personal journals were additional learning experiences that complemented classroom course work.

Of the many activities completed by the team, two are of particular note: The Forbes Road East Area Vocational-Technical School Mentoring Program and the Summer Library Children's Reading Program. Forbes Road East Area Vocational-Technical School is located directly across the street from Boyce Campus and serves as the technical skills training center for the nine school districts within the campus service area. The Service Scholars approached the Forbes Road personnel and were able to work at the school, mentoring and tutoring at-risk high school students. This experience was the Service Scholars' breakthrough project. By working at the same site with the same students, supported by consistent supervisors, they developed confidence. They were also able to measure the outcomes of the work and received feedback from Forbes' staff relevant to their efforts. This was a truly mutually beneficial experience: Forbes had the benefit of consistent volunteers while the students were able to integrate into an existing program. They learned more about the principles of mentoring. A secondary benefit to the Service Scholars was that they now had real field experiences to share with other students and were able to persuade their classmates to volunteer with additional mentoring opportunities within the local community.

The Summer Library Children's Reading Program challenged the resources of the team. They had some parameters within which to work but were encouraged to be creative in designing their component of the project. They were also required to be dependable and provide a stable learning environment to the children (K-6). The team spent many hours planning, developing, and implementing a series of reading activities, culminating with a mystery scavenger hunt that was very well received by both the staff and the students at the area libraries. Again, they were successful in working within a system and exhibited teamwork to accomplish their goal.

Having completed these two projects as a team, the Service Scholars realized that their interests and abilities were divergent. They decided to pursue different projects. Mentoring at-risk students in an urban setting, assisting with an after-school latchkey program, and tutoring emotionally and physically challenged students were among their new projects. They were able to approach the student government to secure monies to sponsor the clearance approvals for Boyce Campus students who wanted to continue the initial efforts of the Service Scholars.

Within the community, they were able to network not only with other colleges and universities, but also with individuals and agencies within various volunteer groups. With every meeting, they returned to campus with new ideas and opportunities for volunteer efforts at the campus. On February 28, 1996, the Service Scholars, in conjunction with the Wilkinsburg School District, the Cities in Schools (the nation's largest nonprofit organization devoted to preventing high school dropouts), Pennsylvania Service Corps, and the Boyce Campus of the Community College of Allegheny County, hosted a program that enabled 125 eighth-grade students to spend the day taking vocational tests that assessed their interests and skills, touring the campus, participating in Black History Month, and learning about college admission, financial aid, and support services. This collaborative effort would have been impossible without the Service Scholars interfacing with these agencies to secure the following resources: bus transportation provided by Wilkinsburg School District; lunches provided by the CCAC Student Government Association; career testing purchased and administered by the Career Planning and Placement Center of CCAC; adult supervision by Cities and Schools; and the Black History Program provided through the Progressive African American Association. This event received widespread media coverage.

Because of the success of this program, the Service Scholars were approached by the Gateway School District to help coordinate and operate a weeklong leadership training program for their high school students. This particular program consisted of four 5-hour sessions consisting of seminars, work groups and exercises designed to develop interpersonal skill, leadership and personal growth, and culminated with a community service project on the fifth day. The presenters included the Service Scholars, a Service Corps member, Gateway High School faculty, and Boyce Campus personnel.

These types of cooperative projects enhance the spirit of volunteerism and serve to benefit both the participants, as well as the community at large, and could be replicated in communities that are committed to assisting at-risk youth.

The Service Scholars are strongly supported by the Campus Administrative Support Team and the faculty, staff and students at Boyce Campus. Their efforts and calls for volunteers were recognized by the campus community and have positively impacted the integration of service-learning activities within the curriculum. Significant was the enrichment of each of the lives of the Service Scholars as they learned to reach out, touch, and make an impact on the lives of children and members of the community. They have, indeed, contributed to the promotion of service-learning efforts at the campus.

Collaboration is a daily enterprise for Esther Mason and MaryEllen Gray. These two partnered as 1995 leaders through the National Institute for Leadership Development, sponsored by Phoenix College, Maricopa Community College District, American Association of Women in Community Colleges, The Ford Foundation, and the League for Innovation. Community Service and volunteerism are personal and professional interests for both women.

Esther Mason has been serving as the Assistant to the Executive Dean at the Boyce Campus of the Community College of Allegheny County since December 1995. Supervision of the Pennsylvania Campus Compact Service Scholars and Service Corps programs at Boyce Campus is a primary job responsibility. Prior to this position, Esther served as Academic Advisor, Director of Supportive Services, and Director of the Boyce Child Development Center.

This summer MaryEllen Gray was appointed systemwide Director of Admissions for the Community College of Allegheny County. With more than twenty years of employment in community college settings, MaryEllen has worked in a variety of student service positions. She has also been an adjunct faculty member of Fine Arts, Media, and Oral Communications since 1981. Her community and professional activities reflect strong support of service activities.

		College Compact and Freshman Company
		Just Another Wacky Wednesday: K-12 Service-Learning
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