As an urban university, Drexel has long believed in the value of experiential
education as a pedagogical tool, and sought learning opportunities for its
students outside the classroom. Founded by Anthony J. Drexel to prepare
students for the demands of the post-Industrial Revolution economy, Drexel has,
since 1919, been a recognized leader in co-operative education, whereby undergraduates
alternate academic terms with terms spent in the workplace.This deeply
rooted educational philosophy led us five years ago to develop imaginative
approaches to civic engagement as an organic component of a Drexel education, in
our commitment to educating not only outstanding professionals but also exemplary
citizens.These programs and approaches may have broad implications for many
educational institutions, especially those in an urban setting.
Over decades Drexel University had developed faculty-driven educational partnerships
with community agencies that benefited Drexel students, the surrounding community
and the institution. A major breakthrough occurred in 2000 when the University created
UNIV 101,“The Drexel Experience,” a single course required of all 2,200 Drexel
freshmen, taught within our 11 colleges and schools by more than 100 University
faculty. As part of UNIV 101, every freshman taught public elementary school students
in the School District of Philadelphia. Created in partnership with Junior
Achievement and Philadelphia READS, the program served more than 50,000
children in 94 Philadelphia public schools.
However, despite the positive impact of efforts like UNIV 101, community partnerships
were not coordinated in a meaningful way across the University. In 2003, under
the leadership of President Constantine Papadakis, the University took a bold step
and merged several initiatives to create the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) as
a nexus for community service and experiential learning, with responsibility for the
continuing evolution of UNIV 101 and the broad development of the University’s
service learning and community service programs. The result is, to the best of our
knowledge, the largest campus-based service learning program in the United States,
with students contributing more than 15,000 hours of service and the creation of a
campus culture that is grounded in significant community engagement.2 The symbolism
of administering this center through the centrally positioned Pennoni Honors
College, connecting academic excellence with civic engagement, is telling.
Rededicating itself to learning through service to the surrounding community, the
CCE established the “Lancaster Avenue Corridor,” beginning on campus and
stretching for four miles along a major public transportation route through West
Philadelphia.We established partnerships with educational, social service and cultural
organizations throughout the newly developed service area, including Peoples’
Emergency Center, Elwyn Institute, Ronald McDonald House, Childrens’ Hospital
of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia. Instead of approaching
agencies with pre-determined solutions, CCE representatives met with each institution
to conduct a needs assessment.The result is a rich and exciting mix of more
than 5,000 individual service opportunities, ranging in time commitment from a
few hours to an entire year, which can be matched to the interests, talent and available
time of students majoring in more than 65 undergraduate disciplines.To help
us coordinate and track so many students choosing from so many opportunities, the
CCE drew upon Drexel’s vast technical expertise to develop a unique, proprietary
interactive Web site, supported by relational databases.
Within the academic framework of UNIV 101, a two-term, two-credit course, all
University freshmen are required to complete a minimum of five hours of community
service that is integrated into the curriculum through focused assignments, discussion
and written reflections. In fact, given the attractive variety of assignments
and flexible time frame, many students contribute hours beyond this requirement.
Through the Center for Civic Engagement, Drexel students are rebuilding homes
in West Philadelphia, completing internships at cultural institutions like the Opera
Company of Philadelphia,The Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Zoo, gaining
valuable pre-professional experience through volunteer service at local hospitals
and community agencies and improving the educational outcomes for thousands of
Philadelphia public school students through the Drexel/School District of
Philadelphia Partnership. Equally important is the fact that thorough assessments of
UNIV 101 indicate that students have learned more about themselves, their choice
of majors and their city as a result.
Like many universities, Drexel has interacted with public schools for years,
through pre-service teaching programs, personal connections and faculty
involvement related to the outreach components of grants.The School District
of Philadelphia, under the leadership of CEO Paul Vallas, strove to coordinate these ad
hoc efforts and tie them to the District’s priorities for school reform. Because of
Drexel’s previous contributions and experience, the University was chosen to receive
one of the first grants from the district for bringing university resources to bear in designated
schools.
Working with eight partner schools (which include pre-kindergarten through
grade 12 and reach more than 4,000 students), Drexel students and faculty provide
expertise in myriad areas, including instructional and academic technology, support
for core academic subjects, preparation for post-secondary education, professional
development for teachers, mentoring, music, art, health and lifestyle issues and
school administration.Working with each school individually, the Drexel/School
District of Philadelphia Partnership pinpoints that site’s areas of need and matches
them with corresponding Drexel resources. Since the inception of the Partnership
in August of 2003, 25 co-operative education students (each of whom work in the
schools for 40 hours per week for six months), 42 faculty and staff members and
more than 300 part-time student employees and volunteers have brought their talents
and experience to bear in the eight partnership schools near Drexel’s campus.
At the end of the current academic year, the Partnership’s impact on the schools
will be assessed and quantified. But already, those involved are proclaiming that the
Partnership is making a positive change—and not just for the students in the public
schools. One Drexel student employee referred to her work in a Partnership
school as “an amazing and transformational experience.”
During the current academic year, Drexel is expanding the scope of the Center for
Civic Engagement in new and innovative ways. Juniors and seniors are providing
extended service to partner agencies and schools through the AmeriCorps Scholars
in Service to Pennsylvania program, and the University is expanding the cultural
horizons of its freshmen through a unique Cultural Passport program that introduces
students to the richness of Philadelphia’s cultural institutions by providing free
admission to museums and libraries and tickets to ballets, theater, operas and the
Philadelphia Orchestra. Beyond becoming informed spectators, our students are also
serving these non-profits in their administrative offices, attending their board meetings
and thus learning about the challenges and satisfactions involved in successfully operating
cultural institutions.We also expect that those engagements will increase the
number of our graduates who grow to love the regional arts community and thus
choose to work and live in Philadelphia.
The Civic Engagement program builds on and extends Drexel’s traditional commitment
to experiential education, as well as providing rich cultural, social and ethical
dimensions that benefit all who participate.As we have known for some time, service
learning activities increase critical thinking skills and encourage social responsibility,
enhancing student citizenship and contributing to an understanding of the
dimensions of true leadership.3 When students are introduced to the people and
institutions that make up society and are exposed to real-world problems and issues
that become the subject of classroom discussion, everyone benefits. And although
Drexel has embraced its geographic location and the myriad opportunities for civic
projects in Philadelphia, we believe much of what we have accomplished and
learned is transferable to other academic institutions and the cities that host them.
Notes
1. Campus life: In Search of Community,Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching, 1990.
2. Although no database exists, see, for example, Campus Compact’s reports on program size, available at
www.compact.org.
3. G. Berman, “Antecedents and strategies for the successful implementation of service learning programs
in higher education,” University of Massachusetts, 1990.
For more
information,
please contact:
Mark L. Greenberg, Ph.D.
Dean, Pennoni Honors College
Drexel University
3141 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-895-1434
greenberg@drexel.edu
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