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. Cardinal Service Connectors are recognized publicly on the Haas Center website at the following link: https://haas.stanford.edu/community/cardinal-service-connectors Stanford also offers several university-wide service opportunities for staff. For example, in honor of Stanford's legacy of service and in response to the 2015 Staff Survey feedback for opportunities to collaborate, University Human Resources (UHR) began offering annual Cardinal at Work (CaW) Care Pack Donation Drive and Assembly Events. Through this university-wide collective effort, UHR donated and assembled 3,700 personal care packs in 2018 to benefit families at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford and local CityTeam homeless shelters. Details are at: https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/engage/volunteer/cardinal-work-care Additionally, to celebrate and honor Earth Day each spring, the Water Quality, Efficiency, & Stewardship (WQES) team collaborates with the Land, Buildings & Real Estate (LBRE) departments of Grounds Services and Land Use & Environmental Planning to organize a service event at three of Stanford’s important water-saving landscapes: the Arizona Garden, the Water Wise Garden, and the Foothills. The projects gave volunteers the opportunity to get their hands dirty and help remove invasive weeds, mulch plants, trim overgrowth, and accomplish fieldwork in important places on campus. Fourteen volunteers helped the WQES team restore important habitats and spruce up notable campus gardens and foothill areas.

The total number of enrolled students listed in this credit includes only undergraduate students because the university is able to closely track undergraduate student participation in community service but not that of graduate students. While many graduate students do participate in community service (some information listed below), we are more confident in the figures for undergraduate community service participation and have thus included only those here. Undergraduate participation in community service is tracked via Stanford’s annual senior survey. In 2018, 969 of the 1,577 survey respondents (61%, unduplicated) indicated on the survey that they did one of the following during their time at Stanford: • volunteered in the US • volunteered abroad • participated in a Haas Center program • volunteered as part of a class This survey captured seniors who graduated in Spring and Summer of academic year 2017-18 and Fall and Winter of 2018-19. The total number of student community service hours is based on a survey conducted by the Haas Center of approximately 637 students, who report spending an average of 374 hours per year on community service. An additional 513 students performed service over the summer through a program called Cardinal Quarter for 35 hours per week. These hours are also included in the total above. 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. In 2017-18 a total of 78 students were approved for the Cardinal Service Notation. In 2017-18, Haas Center program highlights included: 1) Launched a Cardinal Service website for students that includes an animated video, an interactive map of service on campus, and student blog posts: http://cardinalservice.stanford.edu/ 2) Held the Cardinal Service Fair during New Student Orientation 3) Produced a series of faculty videos that feature Cardinal Course offerings (courses that offer service as a component): https://haas.stanford.edu/news/historic-number-stanford-courses-apply-learning-service 4) A total of 312 seniors made a Cardinal service graduation pledge 5) More than 300 students made and sustained multi-quarter service commitments through Cardinal Commitment 6) Grew to 189 Cardinal Course offerings taught by 154 faculty, with 2,800 student participants 7) Expanded to 566 Cardinal Quarter opportunities supported by 39 campus partners 8) Launched the Kickstart Your Social Impact Career event, with 240 student attendees at the inaugural event A sampling of specific community service offerings available for Stanford students is provided below. BRANNER SERVICE SCHOLAR PROGRAM https://resed.stanford.edu/residences/find-house/branner-hall Branner Hall is Stanford’s Public Service Theme Dorm. Dorm life involves activities and events centered on public service that are available to all residents. In addition to participating in dorm community life, approximately 55 students can pre-assign to live in Branner through a competitive application process. Students who pre-assign become Service Scholars and have exclusive public service opportunities and responsibilities. Service Scholars receive individual support and guidance from the student staff and Resident Fellows as they craft their public service journey at Stanford and beyond. Service Scholars are given opportunities to form strong relationships with others who share a similar dedication to public service, make connections to the Haas Center and its resources, and explore how to create a more just and sustainable world through service. FROSH SERVICE LIAISONS https://haas.stanford.edu/students/leadership-development/frosh-service-liaisons Stanford Frosh Service Liaisons help freshmen get involved in service during their first year at Stanford. Liaisons meet weekly to participate in leadership-building workshops, plan service events, and engage in critical discussions about service. CAPE TOWN ENGAGED LEARNING PROGRAM https://undergrad.stanford.edu/programs/bosp/explore/cape-town/community-engagement/community-engaged-learning-cape-town The Bing Overseas Studies Program in Cape Town, South Africa offers an Engaged Learning program with students who work with partner NGOs in Cape Town each quarter. The program typically places students with organizations in Cape Town, which are focused on topics such as community health, education, human rights advocacy, ICT for development, design and design thinking, urban planning, community gardening, agriculture, and early childhood education within the local communities. STANFORD OUTDOOR OUTREACH PROGRAM (SOOP) https://haas.stanford.edu/students/cardinal-commitment/stanford-outdoor-outreach-program-soop-0 SOOP’S mission is to enhance interpersonal relationships, foster community, and instill personal confidence in San Francisco Bay Area youth through facilitated outdoor experiences. Currently, SOOP provides outdoor programming to two local high schools (East Palo Alto Academy and the Luis Valdez Leadership Academy). SOOP works with each school to plan and implement day-long indoor rock climbing experiences, day hikes to local Open Space Preserves and State Parks, and weekend long camping and backpacking trips. COMPARATIVE STUDIES IN RACE AND ETHNICITY SERVICE LEARNING REQUIREMENT https://ccsre.stanford.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/major All students who graduate from the Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity program are required to take at least one class that works directly with community partners. In 2018, 22 students graduated from this degree program.