Service Learning Scholars
Students who are involved in service learning at Southern Miss are invited to apply to be Service Learning Scholars. Scholars will complete a leadership/scholar project and be recognized for their accomplishments at the spring service learning banquet.
1) Leadership/Scholar Project: Students who are accepted as Service Learning Scholars will identify a service learning faculty mentor and enroll in a special problems or directed studies course in their major (3 hours). With the guidance of the faculty mentor, students will undertake one of the following projects:
a) Service-Learning Teaching Assistant: Student will act as an undergraduate assistant within the faculty mentor’s service learning course. Duties will include assisting the instructor in the course, student orientation, working with students and community partners to monitor student placements, trouble shooting, and mentoring students in the class.
b) Service-Learning Research Assistant: Student will assist the faculty mentor with new or ongoing faculty research on service learning. Student may develop his or her own report/paper based on the data from the project.
c) Service-Learning Original Project: Student, working with a community partner, will create and implement a project for a community partner. For example, a student could work with a community partner to create a specific after school program for kids, a special event for the organization (e.g. kids day at the Hattiesburg Zoo), or a publicity/marketing program for the organization, etc.
d) Service-Learning Original Research: Student will undertake a research project in the area of service learning and their major. For example, the student could do a review of the service learning literature in their discipline, a small-scale research project for a community partner, etc.
Students who are accepted as Service-Learning Scholars may apply for mini-grants to fund their projects. Money will be available for items such as supplies, some travel and other related expenses.
2) Recognition of Service-Learning Scholars: Service-Learning Scholars will be recognized at a banquet held in the spring. Students will receive certificates of achievement and special insignia to be worn at graduation. Each Service-Learning Scholar will create a poster display detailing their project to be displayed during the annual Service Learning Banquet.
Program Requirements: To be eligible for the Service-Learning Scholars Program, a student must 1) complete two service-learning courses, 2) complete a leadership/scholar project, and 3) maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher.
For more information, or for an application, please contact
Dr. Ann Marie Kinnell
The University of Southern Mississippi
Department of Anthropology and Sociology
118 College Drive #5074
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
Tel: 601.266.5339
Fax: 601.266.6373
Ann.Kinnell@usm.edu