Stanford University
EN-13: Community Service

Stanford’s Haas Center for Public Service launched the Cardinal Connectors program in 2015 that pairs staff and faculty who actively participate in and have a deep commitment to community service with students who are interested in a service experience at Stanford. The Cardinal Service Connectors attend a training and become part of a listserv that receives monthly updates on activities and public service tips. They also are invited to join the annual Walk the Talk and Friends of Haas awards luncheons each April and receive swag designed to spark a conversation about public service (i.e. mugs, stickers and office signs). Finally, Cardinal Service Connectors are recognized publicly on the Haas Center website at the following link: https://haas.stanford.edu/students/start-your-service-stanford/cardinal-service-connectors

Many Stanford departments also run their own service initiatives, which employees are incentivized to attend through either paid time or a suite of giveaways and recognition. For instance, Stanford's Land, Buildings, and Real Estate (LBRE) organization participates annually in National Rebuilding Day with Rebuilding Together Peninsula. Individual participation in this annual effort is strongly encouraged for both professional and bargaining-unit staff. All participating staff members are recognized and celebrated at an annual LBRE all-hands meeting.

The total number of enrolled students listed in this credit includes undergraduate and graduate students but does not include post-docs, which is also true for the number of students who participate in community service. The total number of students involved in community service and corresponding hours during a one-year period is an estimate, which is drawn from Stanford's submission for the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The hours are estimated based on survey results of approximately 200 students, who report spending an average of 106 hours per year on community service. This figure does include full-time service fellowships during the summer.

In 2015, Stanford launched the Cardinal Service program, which formalizes the ways in which students can engage in community service at Stanford. The tenants of this program are described in various credits throughout this report, but one aspect relevant to this credit is the addition of a transcript notation for seniors who either did the "Cardinal Quarter" by participating in a community service fellowship for an entire quarter, or who took 12 units of "Cardinal Courses," or courses that have been designated as having a service component. Students who meet this criteria can apply for a transcript notation, and the application requires that students write a reflection piece on their service experience at Stanford. This not only helps students process and reflect on how their service experiences have benefited themselves and others, but it also provides Haas Center staff with qualitative feedback that they can use to continue improving their offerings and initiatives.