Green Mountain College
EN-13: Community Service

Faculty are provided course releases and other benefits for engaging in community service initiatives as part of their academic programs. Staff are often granted time off from work to participate in the annual Thanks and Giving and Green Up days. Employees receive positive recognition through the GMC Journal newsletter. The sustainable community development outreach coordinator in GMC's Sustainability Office coordinates ongoing community service activities to support local area organizations and build a sense of community. Recurring activities that include significant volunteer service from employees include the following: Maple Fest—a day each spring that celebrates Vermont’s maple industry, including activities for children, tours for adults, free food, and support for local businesses. Chili Cook Off—a day each fall that celebrates the Town and local businesses. Poultney Earth Fair—a day each year during earth week that promotes community building and environmental education through a plethora of events, activities, and booths presented in a festival format at the local high school. Green Up Day—a day each year during earth week where employees and students help to clean up the campus. Activities with local schools—throughout the year, employees and students engage in numerous activities of service with the high school, such as teaching sessions on special topics, or collaborating on art projects. Poultney Thanks and Giving-- this town-wide community service event attracts employee and student volunteers who provided service to different organizations throughout town. The day includes three free meals to all who participate.

The performance year for this credit is FY 2016. The total numbers of students engaged and the total headcount are undergraduate students from Fall 2016, The estimated number of hours of service were derived from inventorying service from the fall 2016 and spring 2017 semesters on a per class basis by reviewing all syllabi and following up with individual faculty for clarification on service activities. In addition, co-curricular service activities were determined through consultation with staff members in residence life, student involvement, the Career, Advising and Teaching(CAT) Center, and athletics. Directors from these areas provided access to service tracking data or offered estimates on the percentages of groups who participated in service and the average number of hours of service completed.