Here ye, here ye: service learning @ orientation

Today Campbell hosted 500 incoming freshman and 1,000 of their parents at the summer's first orientation session. As part of the Campus Ministry presentation, I spoke (a million miles a minute) about the service learning program and how it will benefit the incoming freshman. Below is what I prepared to write and stuck to mostly.

Good morning, tired and overheated parents. I’m going to tell you a little bit about myself and then give you some details about a new Campus Ministries program your child will be hearing a lot about in the coming months and years.

I spent the first 18 years of life in rural Massachusetts before ending up at Campbell thanks to a fruitful Google search. I graduated in May with a degree in Communication Studies, and how I ended up staying at Campbell is a story for another day.

So, down to business. This freshman class has arrived in Buies Creek at a pivotal time in Campbell history. While the physical landscape of Campbell is more obviously changing, behind the scenes is a brand new program designed to give your young adult the opportunity to serve the community while participating in hands-on application of his or her studies.

Service learning at Campbell is a result of years of various members of the Campbell community reaching out to Harnett County. Serving others in combination with excellence in education is an inherent Campbell characteristic, so much so that it’s in our mission statement. I’d like to give you an example from Scripture that fuels my heart for service and passion for the fledgling service learning program.

As I read from Mark 10, keep in mind the ideas of service and note what we can learn from this passage.

The Request of James and John



Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."


"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

There are two big lessons here, the more obvious and more common being that we should exemplify Jesus’ message of servant leadership. In looking at James and John, however, we can see that they wanted to benefit from their association with Jesus. Instead they should have looked to benefit others through their association with Jesus.

So, what does this millennia-old conversation have to do with Campbell’s new service learning program? Later this afternoon I’m going to offer a challenge to your children that they seek to serve others through their association with Campbell instead of serving just themselves. Your child is here to receive an education that someone is paying for your child to appreciate and take advantage of. That education, however, can be more than text books, exams, and developing an addiction to coffee. It can include your son or daughter reaching out to the Campbell community to use their gifts to leave Harnett County better than when they arrived here today.

To learn more about the service learning program, you can speak with me or check out whereserviceexcels.blogspot.com. Thank you for your time and I’ll be seeing you around!

After today's activities I'm reflecting on how to most efficiently "orient" someone to the concept of and ideas behind service learning. Its purpose is simple but its history and how we accomplish it successfuly are intricate. Then again, so are all the other great ideas I can think of. Recycling, salvation, baking bread-- all accomplish a to-the-point result but require an advanced understanding of the process.

Above, some of the 500 students help pack meals for Stop Hunger Now. Over two hours, the students packed a total of 20,00 meals. Picture by Tyler Cashwell.

Faith, learning... and mustard?

Think about a high point in your life. Chances are that event or phase was a result of ideal conditions that coalesced at just the right time. In the life of Campbell University, its new service learning program is one of those rare, magical advents that has the opportunity to take advantage of perfect conditions for growth.

In case you hadn't noticed, this isn't an educational post like the first two, but you should keep reading anyway. I'm going to tell you how Campbell is the perfect institution for service learning to take seed and flourish. More importantly, hopefully my handy dandy list will further persuade you to shout from the rooftops and write happy jingles about the service learning program and the impact it will make on the community.

1. Service is nothing new at Campbell. Ask around and you'll find out about clubs, departments, and individual students who have endeavored and succeeded in applying their studies to serving and changing the community. We like service so much it's in the mission statement.

2. Service learning at Campbell is organic. It wasn't a demand from someone in a tailored suit. It's been a hopeful whisper over the last few years, but now we're preaching it for all to hear. It's a centralized effort executed by the students and faculty with leadership by the students and faculty.

3. Campbell is a liberal arts institution. That doesn't mean we paint and vote for Democrats all day. It means Campbell wants students to receive a holistic education that includes knowledge outside the classroom, including how to use a moral and ethical compass.

4. Campbell is a faith-based institution. If you speak Christian-ese, you know exactly what this part means. If you haven't picked up the slang of the Christian sub-culture, No. 4 means Campbell's goals are motivated by spiritual endeavors. For example, following Jesus' many challenges to serve others.

Those are just the most obvious beneficial conditions that come to mind. Others include willing students, selfless faculty, and a culture of inward and outward change.

I pray we can plant our mustard seed successfuly and patiently watch the mustard tree grow in beauty and grace.

Let's make Merriam and Webster proud

What words or images do you associate with service learning? I initially linked it to helping in a soup kitchen, picking up trash, and other "work for free" and service-heavy ideas.

While service learning certainly is akin to other service-related concepts, it's a lion of its own and I'd like to take you through a few definitions (from this book) that will clarify what service learning is and how it's unique from other kinds of service.

Volunteerism: activities carried out by individuals of their own free will that benefit others and that are not compensated.

- The emphasis in volunteerism is placed on service, not learning.

Community service: a contribution of time and labor to address human and community needs. It may be based on a mandated requirement or extrinsic reward.

- The emphasis in community service is on service, not learning.

As you can see, the terms we easily associate with service learning are similar in concept but very different in application.

Service learning: a strategy for learning course content and developing social consciousness.

- Themes in the world of service learning are: collaboration with the community, reflection on service, active learning, explicit connections between service and the curriculum, and the development of students' civic and social responsibility.

In short, service learning at its best is a perfectly balanced melding of a hands-on lesson from the curriculum that betters the community through the students' service.

The basics

Campbell's brand spankin' new service learning program is tearing open a new chapter in university history. How service learning came to be and how it ended up at Campbell is a long story that probably requires colorful illustrations, so I'll brief you.

Service learning is the ultimate way to accomplish two intertwined goals:

1. Community engagement

2. Hands-on academic lesson

Basically, service learning is taking lessons from a class and applying them in a sustainable service project. By "sustainable," I mean long-term and self-replenishing.

Campbell has a history of service that any proud Camel will be happy to tell you about. The new service learning program is a culmination of years of clubs, departments, and individual students reaching out to touch the untouchables of Harnett County.

A program in its infancy has a lot to gain and a lot to lose, but I have complete confidence that the program will flourish and prove to onlookers the impact a dedicated university can have on one rural county in the Sandhills of North Carolina.

- Sara McCarthy
Campbell University Service Learning VISTA
sara.melinda.mccarthy@gmail.com