Michigan Service Scholar AmeriCorps program aids student volunteers

By Katie Land, news editor

The spirit of philanthropy is alive and active at Oakland University, benefitting from a recent inclusion in the Michigan Service Scholar AmeriCorps Program.

The university is one of 21 member campuses in the Michigan Campus Compact (MCC) for the 2010-11 school year. This program will support a total of 300 AmeriCorps members who will serve as Michigan Service Scholars (MSS) throughout the state.

At Oakland, the program will offer five OU students the opportunity to receive an education award of $1,132, after they have performed 300 hours of service in Michigan communities in one calendar year.

“MCC is an organization that offers resources to universities to develop community partnership, increase service learning and increase civic engagement on campuses,” said Tiffany Sims, Michigan Campus Compact AmeriCorps representative at OU. “This is a great opportunity for students to learn beyond the classroom and for Oakland University students to get engaged in the local community.”

This is Oakland’s first year in the program. Administrators anticipate developing and building upon partnerships with community organizations in the Pontiac, Auburn Hills and Rochester area, as a result of the program.

In the MSS program, students are expected to volunteer with one or two community organizations to accumulate their 300 hours of service.

Sims hopes to help secure meaningful volunteer work for students through collaborations with organizations such as the Baldwin Center in Pontiac, Grace Centers of Hope, Beyond Basics and more.

“The Michigan Service Scholars program will highlight what our students are doing and reward them for the great work they have accomplished in the community,” Sims said. “Our vision is for students and community organizations to develop meaningful connections that will create a life-long participation in service.”

Long term goals of the program are to create a foundation for sustainable service for OU students and to encourage them to be more active in their community, Sims continued.

There are currently three students in the program at Oakland, with slots available for two more.

For more information about volunteer and leadership programs at OU, visit the website at oakland.edu/volunteer. For more information about the MCC program, view the website at micampuscompact.org/.