Wayne State University Students Bring Heart Back to Downtown Detroit through Service Learning (A Learn and Serve America Grantee)

Wayne State University (WSU), celebrated for its applied curriculum, is taking another step in integrating its practical education with its commitment to the community through its service learning initiative, CommunityEngagement@Wayne. One of the latest projects in service learning at Wayne involves a Public Relations COM 7140 course crafted to enrich 24 graduate-level PR students' academic and practical skills.

The graduate level students are working to develop press kits, coordinate events and garner media attention for Detroit non-profits, including Alternatives for Girls, Covenant House Michigan, Southwest Detroit Development Collaborative (SDDC), Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, as well a team helping to increase the visibility of the communication studies major at Wayne.

These organizations have found support through CommunityEngagement@Wayne, which is a service learning program dedicated to advancing students' efforts in the causes of these organizations ranging from drug and sexual abuse prevention amongst young girls to nurturing Detroit's natural resources and environment. The initiative identifies courses that have a practical component and assist eager instructors in implementing real-life skill building experiences. For example, from the nearly $650,000 WSU has raised toward this ambitious project the COM 7140 course was awarded a portion to support their efforts in establishing community partners as clients needing public relations consultation.

With troubling economic times in Michigan, it is the ideal opportunity for university professors to facilitate the relationship between struggling organizations and enthusiastic students to work hand-in-hand educating one another by fusing the academic with the practical. Organizers avoid costly expenses and enjoy early access to developing professionals, while eager students hone their skills for the workplace.

The COM 7140 graduate students will continue to assist local area non-profits by supplying a variety of public relations services through the end of the semester. Students hope to equip the organizations with PR resources that will sustain their organizational needs for the future while contributing to their mission.

"I wanted to be a part of something from the beginning and was especially interested in contributing a strategic plan that will be ongoing and adaptive as the organization grows and changes," said Anne Sesko, graduate student working with SDDC. "I knew that this kind of collaboration existed, but did not realize what an impact it could have."

In addition to students, many WSU instructors believe the service learning initiative enhances classroom learning through real-life skill building, which ultimately provides a competitive advantage for participants.

"Service learning assists students in putting academic skills to practical use while recognizing their value as a contributor to their academic, professional and social community prior to formally entering the workforce,"says Donyale Griffin, professor in the Department of Communication and graduate instructor of the PR Campaigns course. "Students are being cultivated as citizens and professionals simultaneously."

Such efforts are ongoing campus-wide and COM 7140 is only one example of how this philosophy is being translated across the curriculum at Wayne.

Surveys were disseminated to participants involved in service learning projects to gauge their awareness of service learning or community engagement opportunities in the Detroit metropolitan area and the impact it had on their lives and aspirations before and after taking part in their selected service learning initiative.

Since its inception in 2005, CommunityEngagement@Wayne has promoted Wayne State University's dedication to its local, urban environment. The initiative provides tangible benefits to communities and unique opportunities for students to apply newly learned skills in a real-world context. It supports the service learning endeavors of WSU instructors and students and welcomes innovative community partnering. Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting and offers more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to nearly 33,000 students. For more information, visit www.wayne.edu.