President's Award for Excellence in Service Learning
The award will recognize the partnering pair who has together engaged students in quality service learning. Through service learning, students apply their academic skills and knowledge to address the genuine needs of a community organization. This provides students with a deeper understanding of their studies and fosters a stronger sense of civic responsibility.
2021 - Congratulations to Susanne Cowan!
Cowan, who came to MSU in 2014, researches the relationship between urban design and the social conditions of cities. In particular, she studies the impact of participatory democracy and community organizing on neighborhood planning.
Learn more about Susanne's award
Click here to see all past recipients
The selection committee will evaluate nominees on the following criteria:
- Learning Objectives Describe the service learning course on which the nominated pair partnered. What were the course learning objectives? (Please attach a copy of the syllabus from the service learning course.)
- Service Learning Activities ~ Community Need Describe the kinds of service students provided in the nominated pairs’ service learning course. What was the community need the service addressed? How was the need identified and by whom? Please provide an example of the nature of students’ actual service activities. Describe the way the course was structured and the way the service activities were integrated with the academic content of the course. Describe the impact the service learning course had on the students, the community organization, and the faculty member/community partner pair. How was impact measured?
- Assessment of Student Learning ~ Reflection Describe how you assessed student learning. What types of reflection activities were used in this course and with what frequency?
- Partnership Describe how this partnership evolved? Explain the roles and responsibilities
of each partner in this service learning course endeavor. How did partners maintain
communication? Why was this partnership a success? Selection Criteria: The assessment
of nominees will involve consideration of the quality of the partnership, and will
be heavily weighted around how well the service learning course meets the best practices
of service learning listed below:
- identified learning objectives
- evaluation and/or assessment of student learning
- structured reflection activities
- addresses an actual community identified need Faculty members and their community partners are asked to complete their nomination online
Faculty members and their community partners are asked to complete their nomination online.
Click here for more information.
Questions about the President’s Award for Excellence in Service Learning should be addressed to Rebekah VanWieren, Chair of the Service Learning Advisory Committee at [email protected].
Past Recipients
2020 - Congratulations to Lucia Ricciardelli!
Lucia Ricciardelli, associate professor of film in the School of Film and Photography, has won the President’s Award forExcellence in Service Learning. The award comes
with a $1,000 honorarium.
Throughout her career, Ricciardelli has demonstrated a commitment to integrating service learning activities and outreach team projects in her courses. She has facilitated community engagement with local groups in the Bozeman area to achieve long-term and sustainable outcomes and relationships through collaborative efforts. In addition, she has incorporated documentary filmmaking workshops with members from the Chippewa Cree, Blackfeet and Crow tribes into her courses design to help promote cross-cultural engagement in the production of short documentary films.
Learn more about these awardees and all the spring awards
2019 Wendy Bianchini Morrison, instructor in the Department of Health and Human Development.
2018 Thomas McNab, a member of the faculty in the School of Architecture.
