Community Partner Guide to Service Learning:
Part 1: Working with UVM

Is CUPS the Right UVM Office to Contact?  Just who do I call?

Need some help deciding what you are looking for? There are a variety of UVM offices that connect the community with university partners. You may call any of these offices for guidance if you are unsure who might best fit your project; here are a few guidelines:

Volunteerism: the engagement of students in activities where the primary emphasis is on the service being provided and the primary intended beneficiary is clearly the service recipient. (see offices listed under community service).

Community Service: the engagement of students in activities that primarily focus on the service being provided as well as the benefits the service activities have for the recipients.

If you are looking for information about student community service programs for one-time, short-term, or long-term projects as well as volunteer groups, contact:

• The Department of Student Life about one-time service events, and/or Volunteers in Action (VIA).
• The Center for Student Ethics and Standards about one-day or short-term community restitution.
• Also note that the United Way of Chittenden County is a non-UVM resource for posting community volunteer opportunities.

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Internships: engage students in service activities primarily for the purpose of providing students with hands-on experiences that enhance their learning or understanding of issues relevant to a particular area of study.

If you are looking for an intern or a work-study student to staff your nonprofit, contact:

• The Career Services Office about the Service-Learning Internship Program, the Nonprofit Program, or the off-campus Work-Study Program.

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Field Education: provides students with co-curricular service opportunities that are related, but not fully integrated, with their formal academic studies.

• Contact individual academic departments for information about Field Education placements.

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Service-Learning: experiential education with the intention to equally benefit all participants (university and community) and to focus equally on the service being provided and the learning that is occurring.

If you wish to create a long-term community partnership that might be linked with an academic research project or an academic course, contact:

• The CUPS Office (Community-University Partnerships and Service-Learning) 

Last modified January 25 2011 02:11 PM