University of Michigan MCSP Integrates Community Service into Learning

The Michigan Community Scholars Program differs from other learning community programs offered at the University of Michigan because of its "distinct purpose." The program "emphasizes making a difference" says David Schoem, Faculty Director of MCSP. "The students who apply to our program have been involved in community service projects or in 'giving back…' and they want to continue to be involved in society and to have an impact."

What makes MCSP unique among other learning communities at the University of Michigan is its "integration of the ideals of community service learning with those of learning communities." In this program, community service is an "explicitly stated emphasis…" according to Dr. Shoem.

There are three dimensions that we bring to our community focus. First, we provide academic coursework, through first-year seminars and other classes, that provides an intellectual grounding on issues of community and moves students to think seriously about complex community issues from different disciplinary perspectives. Second, we take our students into the community to do good and necessary community work and we bring them back to the classroom to reflect on their experience. And third, because it's a residential community with a student population that is about 50 percent students of color and 50 percent white students, we have the opportunity to attempt to model what a diverse, democratic society should look like. How, in our everyday lives, do we live the values that we've been thinking about in the classroom and that we've been critiquing and observing in the work we're doing in the community?

Students are an integral part of the planning and management of the program. First-year students serve on the MCSP Programming Board and define themselves as community leaders. They plan community service projects, as well as arts, social, and cultural events for the community. These events include movie nights, trips to participate in Habitat for Humanity, museum trips, and a recent trip to Detroit to see the dedication of the Underground Railroad Memorial. Penny Pasque, the program's director and co-founder, emphasizes that this board is a significant portion of the MCSP program and what students feel is a large part of their learning community experience.

According to Schoem, the program benefits faculty as well as students. He believes it enables faculty to form a collaborative scholarly community and serves as "an attractive alternative to many faculty…it becomes as important a community and academic home for some of our faculty as it is for our students."

Any incoming student at the University of Michigan is eligible to apply to MCSP, but to indicate the popularity of this two-year-old program, the MCSP brochure warns that "space is limited at Couzens Hall."

Hallmarks of many learning communities include team teaching, teaching across disciplines, living in a diverse community, service, and fieldwork. The basic principles of learning communities have become standard fare in many college curricula, building on other trends such as writing across the curriculum, community-service programs, and interdisciplinary programs.

In addition to the MCSP, the University of Michigan offers several other residential, non-residential, and four-year academic learning community options such as the Health Sciences Scholars Program, the Women In Science and Engineering Residence Program, and the University Mentorship Program among others. For an overview of these and other learning communities at the university, visit http://www.umich.edu/~mlcprogs/.

Dr. Schoem will present a session titled "The Educational Promise of Linking Learning Communities and Community Service Learning" at AAC&U's upcoming Annual Meeting (see http://www.aacu.org/meetings/annual.cfm). Watch the mail for AAC&U's quarterly, PeerReview devoted to the problems, successes, and assessment of learning communities.

For more information on MCSP, visit, http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mcs.