PENNONI HONORS COLLEGE

Center for Civic Engagement
Fulfilling UNIV 101 Service Requirement in the Schools

One of the requirements for passing UNIV 101 (our freshman experience course) involves all 2,500 Drexel freshmen completing at least five hours of community engagement.  Community engagement is defined as performing meaningful work with one of many non-profit or governmental agencies and institutions throughout the City.  While there are several purposes for such a requirement, regardless of the experience, we expect our students to learn from their civic engagement.  What students glean from their experiences forms the basis for discussion in UNIV 101.

Drexel University and the School District of Philadelphia have had an on-going relationship for many years, through projects like UNIV 101 civic engagement, research programs (like the Nutrition Education Program), and teacher preparation and training. For many years, Drexel students, working  directly with school children, have served as tutors, mentors, academic coaches, as technology experts, in robotics programs, coaching teams, or in before or after-school programs. Drexel students may also be working with teachers and school administrators and sometimes even parents. The CCE cultivates close relationships with school personnel and determines needs based upon mutual discussions. Regardless of the nature of their work, Drexel and the School District have always adhered to the following policy, which appears prominently on our website:

"Students electing to serve in schools administered by the School District of Philadelphia or other designated K-12 schools must always be accompanied by District or school personnel while on District or school property.  Drexel students serving in School District of Philadelphia schools are never to be in contact with school students unless accompanied by a District employee (teacher, aid, etc.)."

The Center for Civic Engagement, and the many programs housed with in, was created to help our students learn about citizenship through service learning.  Related goals include encouraging our students to develop concerns about the city in which they are living and studying and to have these sentiments translate into positive action. Working in schools on behalf of Drexel University is also an important step in strengthening the community in which Drexel resides. We aim, as well, to help our neighbors feel better about having Drexel in the community. Perhaps the greatest outcome of involving Drexel freshmen with children in our schools is to inspire District students to think of a future that involves college or professional training after high school. In this way, our students’ presence serves as a model, taking the mystery out of what college is like and making it more attractive to those who might not otherwise consider it.  Ultimately, of course, our goal is to contribute to a stronger Philadelphia overall, by strengthening the community in which Drexel resides and the understanding of its students as well as our own.