Lilly Endowment Inc. Awards Three-Year Grant for Indiana Campus Compact

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 INDIANAPOLIS – Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded a three-year $900,000 grant to the Indiana University Foundation on behalf of Indiana Campus Compact, a consortium of more than 40 Indiana college and university campuses committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. This funding will enable Indiana Campus Compact to create and support programs that offer service-learning opportunities to Indiana college students, deepen students’ commitment to community service, and provide them with valuable job-related skills.

“As Indiana Campus Compact celebrates 20 years of advancing citizenship and service in higher education, we are thankful for the continued generosity of Lilly Endowment,” said Dr. Jerrilee Mosier, Chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast and Indiana Campus Compact Board Chair. “This grant will enable Indiana Campus Compact to continue to support Indiana’s institutions of higher education in their purposeful engagement with Hoosier communities.”

This civic engagement has both an immediate and long-term impact on Indiana, explains Sara B. Cobb, vice president for education at the Endowment. “Studies show that college students who are active volunteers tend to develop lifelong commitments to giving and volunteering and encourage their friends and families to get more involved. The Endowment is pleased to support Indiana Campus Compact’s efforts to inspire many more young people to serve their communities.”  

Dr. Mary Jane Eisenhauer, Purdue University North Central Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, has seen a positive change in her students as a result of Indiana Campus Compact support. “Service-learning has empowered my students to make a connection between the classroom and real life. It gives me great hope for our future to see them take on issues of social justice and address important community needs.”

About Indiana Campus Compact

Indiana Campus Compact supports higher education’s efforts to develop students into well-informed, engaged citizens. By providing programs, services, and resources, Indiana Campus Compact serves as a catalyst for campuses and communities to improve people’s lives through service-learning and civic engagement initiatives. For more information, please visit www.indianacampuscompact.org.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly and his two sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., with gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical company. The Endowment is primarily committed to the causes of education, community development and religion.

About Indiana University Foundation

Founded in 1936, the Indiana University Foundation is dedicated to maximizing private support for Indiana University by conducting fundraising campaigns and programs, investing the endowment, and providing advancement leadership and development services.

Nation’s Top Colleges for Community Service Receive Presidential Recognition

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Nation’s Top Colleges for Community Service Receive Presidential Recognition
19 Indiana Campus Compact Campuses Receive Titles

Indianapolis, IN – As colleges across the country honor their graduates this commencement season, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) honored the nation's leading institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.

Six colleges and universities received Presidential Awards in the 2010 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to community service. The University of Notre Dame was recognized as a finalist for Presidential Awards.

Congratulations to Indiana Campus Compact member campuses:

Honor Roll Finalist:

• University of Notre Dame

Honor Roll with Distinction Members:

• Franklin College
• Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Honor Roll Members:

• Ball State University
• Butler University
• DePauw University
• Earlham College
• Indiana State University
• Indiana University Bloomington
• Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana - Bloomington
• Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana-South Central
• Manchester College
• Marian University
• Purdue University
• Purdue University North Central
• Taylor University
• University of Indianapolis
• University of Saint Francis
• University of Southern Indiana

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 641 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth. Of that total, 511 were named to the Honor Roll, 114 received the recognition of Honor Roll with distinction, 11 were identified as finalists, and six received the Presidential Award.

"As members of the class of 2011 cross the stage to pick up their diplomas, more and more will be going into the world with a commitment to public service and the knowledge that they can make a difference in their communities and their own lives through service to others, thanks to the leadership of these institutions," said Patrick A. Corvington, Chief Executive Officer of CNCS. “Congratulations to these schools and their students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities. We salute all the Honor Roll awardees for embracing their civic mission and providing opportunities for their students to tackle tough national challenges through service.”

A total of 851 institutions applied for the 2010 Honor Roll, a nine percent increase over last year, a sign of the growing interest by colleges and universities in highlighting their efforts to engage students in making a difference in the community.

On campuses across the country, millions of college students are engaged in innovative projects to meet local needs, often using the skills learned in classrooms. In 2009, 3.2 million college students dedicated more than 307 million hours of service to communities across the country, service valued at more than $6.4 billion. Business and law students offer tax preparation and legal services, and college student volunteers provide meals, create parks, rebuild homes after disasters, conduct job training, run senior service programs, and much more.

Indiana Campus Compact supports higher education’s efforts to develop students into well-informed, engaged citizens. By providing programs, services, and resources, ICC serves as a catalyst for campuses and communities to improve people’s lives through service-learning and civic engagement initiatives. For more information, please visit www.indianacampuscompact.org.

CNCS oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school's commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service. For a full list of recipients and descriptions of their service, visit www.NationalService.gov/HonorRoll.

Indiana College Students Will Learn What It Means To Be Homeless

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  Students from Indiana Campus Compact member campuses across the state are participating in a week-long alternative break focusing on homelessness in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Campus Compact (ICC) is partnering with Indiana University-Purdue University—Indianapolis (IUPUI) Center for Service & Learning to host “Your Impact on Homelessness”, a summer break alternative for Indiana college students.  From May 22 through May 26, 2011, a group of students from four college campuses will spend a week learning about Indianapolis’s homeless population, including spending four nights in one of two homeless shelters.

Students from Indiana University Bloomington, IUPUI, Purdue University North Central, and the University of Indianapolis will come together to:

• Stay 5 days and 4 nights at a homeless shelter in downtown Indianapolis;
• Learn about root causes of homelessness;
• Gain in-depth exposure to the subculture of urban homelessness in Indianapolis;
• Be exposed to racial, spiritual, and socio-economic diversity; and
• Form relationships with a group of students from across the state;

During this Alternative Break experience, students will engage in volunteer service and address a critical need affecting our state. Students will also gain valuable skills, resources, training, and support on implementing effective Alternative Break programs on their campus.

ICC and IUPUI’s Center for Service & Learning will partner with a number of nonprofit organizations located within the community, such as, Wheeler Mission Ministries and Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention of Greater Indianapolis (CHIP). These partnerships will allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the issue of homelessness and what resources are available to address the root causes of homelessness.

Last year’s program changed the students’ views of persons experiencing homelessness and gave them a new perspective on solutions.  When reflecting on the program, one student said,”I not only learned about the homeless population, the magnitude of the problem, how much still needs done, and the ‘politics’ involved, but how ignorant society can be because they are in denial. Every person can make a difference in resolving the issue in their own method. Even though I am one person, I can make a difference in someone's life, which will help someone else and cause a ripple effect for the good.”

Funding for “Your Impact on Homelessness” was provided by ICC through generous support from Lilly Endowment, Inc.  ICC’s annual Alternative Break Institutional Program (ABI) awards one member campus a $1,500 grant to support an Indiana-based Alternative Break.  The ABI program provides member campuses with the opportunity to showcase their campus and community and participation is available to students from other ICC campuses.

Indiana Campus Compact supports higher education’s efforts to develop students into well-informed, engaged citizens. By providing programs, services, and resources, ICC serves as a catalyst for campuses and communities to improve people’s lives through service-learning and civic engagement initiatives. For more information, please visit www.indianacampuscompact.org.

The Power of Partnerships Touches Communities Acrros Indiana

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 INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana University East and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Richmond have partnered to host the third annual Indiana Campus Compact Community Service Director (CSD) Institute, June 2-3, 2011 on the shared Richmond campuses.

The CSD Institute will provide service learning and co-curricular service administrators with fewer than five year’s experience with an opportunity to learn from leaders in the field of service engagement.  Participants will acquire information, network with colleagues from around the state, take part in workshops covering topics such as Powerful Partnerships, The Effects of Service Learning on Millennial Students, Institutionalizing Service Engagement on a Campus, Social Media and Service Engagement, and more.  Participants also will receive a common reader, “Partnerships that Work: The Stories and Lessons from Campus/Community Collaborations,” by Charlene J. Gray, James M. Heffernan, and Michael H. Norton.

“For 18 years, Indiana Campus Compact member institutions have mobilized hundreds of students state-wide to communities in need.  CSDs work with community organizations to facilitate reciprocal partnerships with faculty, students, staff, and administrators which meet those needs and foster the connection between the campus and the community”, said ICC Associate Director J.R. Jamison.

The CSD Institute was made possible by a grant from Indiana Campus Compact through the generous support of the Lilly Endowment Inc.

Indiana Campus Compact supports higher education’s efforts to develop students into well-informed, engaged citizens. By providing programs, services, and resources, Indiana Campus Compact serves as a catalyst for campuses and communities to improve people’s lives through service-learning and civic engagement initiatives.  In 2010, Indiana Campus Compact touched the lives of 59,745 individuals across the state through grant programs, professional development opportunities, resources, and networking. For more information, please visit www.indianacampuscompact.org.