Dear Colleagues,
Before we dive into our second installment of the Service Year + Higher Ed newsletter, I have some good news to share from Capitol Hill! Earlier this month, the Senate rejected the President’s budget proposal by providing level funding for AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, and YouthBuild in its markup of the 2018 budget.
Because of all of the supporters who made their voices heard, we successfully fought off a proposal to make national service as we know it go extinct — but the fight isn’t over. In the weeks and months ahead, Congress will negotiate the final budget deal and we will continue to urge them to expand national service so that every young American has the opportunity to serve.
Thank you for all you do,
Jenna Dell, Ed.D.
Associate Director for Higher Ed Partnerships
CAEL Webinars
In partnership with CAEL, the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning, we are encouraging more service year programs to partner with colleges and universities. We invite you to learn more about opportunities for collaboration through our upcoming webinar on Wednesday, November 8th, “College Credit for Experiential Learning: Increasing the Impact of Postsecondary Education Initiatives for Service Year Corps Members.” Register using this link.
Service Years as a Gap Year
Taking a gap year — or a break between high school and college — is becoming more popular in the United States. Some 40,000 Americans participated in a gap year in 2013, an increase of almost 20 percent since 2006. Service Year Alliance has partnered with the American Gap Association to position service years as one option to consider during a gap year. We sat down with Holly Zanville, strategy director for the Lumina Foundation, to discuss service years as a gap year in detail. Read the full interview here.
Higher Ed Highlight
President E. Gordon Gee of West Virginia University, President Eduardo Padrón of Miami-Dade College, and President Anthony P. Monaco of Tufts University joined together earlier this month to co-author a piece in Inside Higher Ed entitled, “How Higher Ed Can Restore Public Trust.” The higher education leaders outlined how a year of national service — a service year — before, during or after college better prepares students to complete their degrees, secure meaningful employment, and become lifelong engaged citizens. They urged colleagues in the higher education community to join them in calling on Congress to expand opportunities for young Americans to serve.
“At a time when our students are eager to take their futures into their own hands, embracing national service on our campuses is the least we in higher education can do to deliver on our promises of providing students with the best educational opportunities possible...Embracing a service year is a step in the right direction toward securing the confidence of our next generation of students.” -Inside Higher Ed, Sept 1, 2017
The Latest
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Averett University Partners With Localities for a First-of-its-Kind Service Year Fellowship | Averett University
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Want to heal America? Start with national service | NY Daily News
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Americans brought back New Orleans. They can do the same for Houston. | Washington Post
We’ve recently updated our Service Year EDU membership list! If you are interested in learning more about incorporating a service year on your campus or are already doing work in this area, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Jenna Dell, Associate Director for Higher Ed Partnerships.
