SPEA Service Corps

“Connecting Students With Community”

• Program Introduction
  
• Program Structure
  
• Program Expectations
  
• Student Eligibility
  
• Community Partners
  
• Advisory Board
  
• Contact Information
  

Program Introduction

Service Corps is a partnership between the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), local nonprofit agencies, the City of Bloomington, Monroe County Government, the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce – Franklin Initiative, Monroe County Community School Corporation, and the Town of Ellettsville. Through this innovative program and the leverage of Federal Work Study monies, SPEA students are named Service Corps Fellows and contribute to the public safety, economic development, environmental issues, and human service needs of the local community and region as part of the program.

Service Corps provides Fellows with experiential learning opportunities and allows them to earn Federal Work Study funding and partial fee remission by working in the community. SPEA’s curriculum naturally extends to service-learning and civic leadership programs. SPEA Service Corps appointments strengthen the articulation between theory and practice while filling critical gaps in service delivery. The hope is for students to assume management duties and responsibilities in support of strategic objectives of the agency and/or governmental office to which they are assigned. Ultimately, it is expected that students will enhance individual management techniques and leadership skills. This program reinforces academic preparation through experiential opportunities in the community and provides valuable work experience as well as professional contacts that Service Corps members will maintain and value throughout their careers.

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Program Structure

Students are selected for Service Corps participation during the School’s merit aid allocation process—based on expressed interest via the application, undergraduate academic record, personal statement, and résumé. The Service Corps program enables the School to extend its limited financial resources to its incoming student pool. Further, it has proven to be a powerful recruitment tool – particularly for those students whose career aspirations ultimately involve work in the public or nonprofit sectors.

Service Corps Fellows work nine hours per week in their assigned departments/agencies and attend bi-weekly field seminars with their respective Corps (Nonprofit or Public). The field seminars are opportunities for an open exchange of ideas and for bringing in speakers on a variety of topics with the goal of furthering professional development. Past field seminar topics/speakers include: Strategic Planning, International NGOs, Volunteer Development, Education Policy, and Community Development Initiatives. Fellows receive partial fee remission from SPEA for their work, as well as a monthly stipend that consists of contributions from both partnering agencies/departments and the Federal Work Study program.

Two Community Coordinators lead the program—one for the Nonprofit Corps and the other for the Public Corps. These students are second year graduate students who participated in the program during their first year of graduate study. Coordinators work an average of 15 hours per week.

The program is administered by the Director of Graduate Student Services (DGSS) who has immediate supervisory responsibilities for the Community Coordinators and serves as liaison for all external partners/stakeholders. An Advisory Board comprised of the DGSS, two student Coordinators, SPEA faculty members, and external stakeholders provides guidance and invaluable feedback for the Program throughout the academic year.

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Program Expectations

• Provide reinforcement for Fellows' academic coursework through experiential opportunities in the community
• Provide financial assistance for Service Corps Fellows in achieving their educational goals
• Provide Fellows with valuable, high quality work experience that may translate into future employment opportunities
• Provide hands-on knowledge about the challenges of working within non-profit agencies and the public sector
• Provide an environment that will nurture additional collaborations between SPEA and community organizations
• Provide community contacts for Fellows
• Provide Fellows with a deeper understanding of the community

Examples of Projects

Nonprofit Corps	Public Corps
• Fund Developing/Grant Writing	• Departmental Budgets
• Risk Management Plan	• Policy Analysis and Research
• Marketing Plan	• Event Planning
• Volunteer Handbook	• Project Management Evaluation
• Event Planning	• Annexation Planning Notification

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Student Eligibility

Eligibility for Service Corps appointments and work-study monies is determined via FAFSA qualifications. Students must adhere to all program guidelines, maintain a cumulative 3.4 grade point average, and maintain full time student status as well as make satisfactory academic progress.

To be considered for an appointment to the SPEA Service Corps:

• Eligible candidates must submit a complete application by February 1st and be admitted to the graduate program
• Candidates must check the appropriate box on the application to indicate interest in the program.
• Candidates also must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for consideration of financial need.

Identification of the top candidates among eligible accepted students will be conducted by the Program Director(s) at SPEA.

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Community Partners

Nonprofit Corps

Area 10 Agency on Aging
Area 10 Agency on Aging is a nonprofit corporation serving persons of 60 years of age and older and is dedicated to providing a quality lifestyle and affordable housing for all senior citizens. The Food Pantry Program provides food to low-income, homebound senior citizens and disabled residents of Monroe County. Additional services include employment search assistance, case management, in-home health care, and home-delivered meals.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Monroe County
Big Brothers Big Sisters' mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with measurable impact. Their strategic goals include serving at least 25% of the area’'s at-risk youth by 2010. They offer four mentoring programs and serve over 800 youth per year in one to one relationships.

Bloomington Early Music Festival
Bloomington Early Music Festival brings together leading soloists and ensembles for a series of concerts, opera and oratorios, workshops, and pre-concert talks. Cross-cultural interests in the festival sometimes include performances by acclaimed folk musicians. As the only festival of its kind in the Midwest, the festival serves the Bloomington community, the Midwest region, and a growing number of music lovers from across the United States.

Bloomington Hospital Positive Link
Positive Link is the regional HIV care site, providing direct health and human services to those with HIV. In addition, Positive Link provides marketed prevention education and HIV testing to high risk populations through the region.  All services are provided free of charge to a six county region of south central Indiana.

Bloomington Playwrights Project
The Bloomington Playwrights Project is an arts organization dedicated to the furthering of new original plays and theatre. This organization produces original shows, holds playwriting contests, and acts as a valuable resource for the entire community by offering innovative programs and classes.

Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington
The Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington is a part of national guidance organization which fosters the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social growth of boys and girls ages six to 18. All programs are designed to help youth develop valuable skills needed to make wise life decisions.

Community Kitchen
Community Kitchen (CK) works to fight hunger in Monroe County and surrounding areas through direct service, education, and advocacy. CK does this by providing warm, nutritious meals to anyone in need from two locations, six days per week. In addition, CK targets nutrition to children, seniors, and the chronically ill.

Girls Incorporated of Monroe County
The mission of Girls Inc. is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.  We do this through research-based programming in an all-girl environment.  We create an atmosphere where similarities and differences among girls are valued, respected, and celebrated.  Girls are empowered in an environment that has high expectations of them and provides high levels of support. 

Hoosier Hills Food Bank
Hoosier Hills Food Bank is nonprofit organization that collects, stores, and distributes surplus and donated food products to over 116 local agencies that provide food for the community's hungry.

Lotus Education & Arts Foundation (LEAF)
LEAF’s mission is to create opportunities to experience and celebrate the diversity of the world’s cultures. LEAF presents the annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival in the fall, Lotus Blossoms (an education outreach event) in the spring, concerts throughout the year, and an annual benefit, Edible Lotus.

Middle Way House
Middle Way House's mission is to end violence in the lives of women and children by implementing and promoting activities and programs aimed at achieving individual and social change. The agency is committed to providing meaningful alternatives to living with violence.

Monroe County United Ministries, Inc.
Monroe County United Ministries (MCUM) provides high-quality, affordable childcare for working families and basic needs assistance to Monroe County residents in financial crisis. Basic needs assistance includes food, clothing, hygiene supplies, rent/mortgage and utility assistance, and referrals to other agencies and services.  MCUM has been serving this community since 1939.

Shalom Community Center
Shalom Community Center is a Bloomington non-profit dedicated to relieving the plight of those experiencing homelessness and poverty by helping to meet basic needs. As a resource center, Shalom provides diverse services to encourage self-sufficiency of their clients, including daytime shelter, mail and messaging services, provision of meals, toiletries, laundry, and showers, casework, and on-site access to vital service agencies, including legal services, Veterans Affairs, medical and mental health providers, Medicare, and job search assistance.

Sycamore Land Trust
Sycamore Land Trust (SLT) is nonprofit organization with the mission to preserve the disappearing landscape of south-central Indiana. Working with private landowners, SLT conserves land to provide habitat for wildlife, protect scenic beauty, and provide places for outdoor enjoyment and education. As of January 2007, SLT had conserved 3,747 acres on 51 parcels in eight counties.

United Way of Monroe County, Inc.
United Way of Monroe County improves people’s lives by addressing critical needs today and working to reduce those needs tomorrow. Through community partnerships, United Way works to ensure that Monroe County residents have access to sufficient food, housing, health care, and emergency services. United Way also invests in programs that strengthen youth, help seniors to remain independent, and promote workforce preparation.

WildCare Inc.
Since our 2001 incorporation we have helped over 7,000 sick, injured, and orphaned wild reptiles, raptors, songbirds, mammals, and marsupials in south-central Indiana with the goal of releasing them back to the wild. Our Center of over 6,000 square feet is located on three acres of land west of Bloomington. Our education outreach programs reach almost 2,000 people annually.

Wonderlab
Wonderlab’s mission is to provide opportunities for people of all ages, especially children, to experience the wonder and excitement of science through hands-on exhibits and programs that stimulate curiosity, encourage exploration, facilitate discovery, and foster lifelong learning.

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Public Corps

Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Franklin Initiative
Through the Franklin Initiative, Monroe County Educators and Businesses join together to increase academic achievement for all students and better prepare those students entering the world of work after high school. We are embracing this partnership as a community effort, and we feel strongly that all children should be given tools and opportunities to reach their goals and be successful.

Bloomington Fire Department
The Bloomington Fire Department maintains a staff of professionally trained firefighters located at five stations to provide services within the corporate city limits of Bloomington, including the IU campus. Our services are available 24 hours-a-day, every day and include fire suppression, rescue, emergency medical response, and many other non-emergency services such as fire inspections and public education.

Bloomington Police Department
Bloomington Police Department officers facilitate the safe and expedient movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, provide neighborhood patrols, and serve as a presence for the deterrence of crime. We also provide 9-1-1 dispatching services. All divisions work together to make the Bloomington community as safe as possible.

City of Bloomington Utilities
The City of Bloomington Utilities Department is a municipally-owned water, wastewater, and stormwater utility serving the residents of Bloomington and Monroe County. Our department is responsible for the treatment and distribution of drinking water for the City. We also handle the collection, treatment, and disposal of wastewater and manage the collection and disposal of stormwater for the City of Bloomington.

Community and Family Resources Department, City of Bloomington
The Community and Family Resources Department coordinates services, programs and activities that promote an enhanced quality of life in Bloomington and help to build a strong, vital community. Programs within the department include: Community Health and Outreach, Latino Outreach, Volunteer Network, Youth and Family Projects, City of Bloomington Boards and Commissions, Safe and Civil City, and Assistance for Nonprofits.

Controller’s Office, City of Bloomington
The Controller's Office ensures that public tax dollars are utilized in a fiscally responsible manner in order to provide optimal services to Bloomington residents. The office is involved in the processing of all daily financial transactions of the City. Our office strives to ensure Bloomington's short- and long-term fiscal viability through professional financial and budgetary management and reporting.

Economic Development Department, Office of the Mayor, City of Bloomington
The Economic Development Department enhances economic vitality through quality-of-life initiatives and by fostering an attractive business environment. The department leads business retention, provides small business advocacy and ombudsman assistance, and also works with other City departments on infrastructure and development projects. The department directs the Sustainable City Initiative, Certified Technology Park development, and public art policy and program development.

Employee Services, City of Bloomington
The mission of Employee Services is to establish innovative, employee-friendly policies and practices; foster a healthy, productive, rewarding work environment; and offer administrative and consulting services to City departments and employees. Employee Services strives to deliver programs and services centered on retaining highly qualified, skilled, and productive employees motivated to serve the citizens of Bloomington in the most efficient and creative manner.

Heartwood
Heartwood's work is focused on advocacy for the protection and wise use of public lands, which in Indiana include the Hoosier National Forest near Bloomington and the state network of public forests and wildlife management areas. Volunteers and staff work on nvironmental policy issues, public education and outreach, and sustainability issues, ach as they relate to the intrinsic value of these lands and their resources.

Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND), City of Bloomington
The mission of HAND is to provide staff assistance to neighborhoods to enhance the quality of life for Bloomington residents. This is accomplished by developing programs, services, and partnerships with public and private organizations to preserve community character, promote affordable housing, and enhance neighborhood vitality.

Information and Technology Services Department (ITS), City of Bloomington
The Information and Technology Services Department serves the people of Bloomington by making the effectiveness and efficiency of city government information technology a top priority. ITS manages the City's network infrastructure, computer hardware, software systems, and GIS applications. The department also maintains the City's website and develops open source applications to facilitate e-government.

Indiana Forest Alliance
IFA is a cooperative network of groups and individuals working to provide accurate information to the people of Indiana and to involve them in efforts to protect and restore Indiana's forests, hold corporations and government agencies accountable for their actions and establish sustainable economic and political models that will ensure the long term well being of Indiana's forests. We believe there should be no further commercial, industrial exploitation of public lands. We support greatly reducing demand for wood and we promote responsible, sustainable and profitable stewardship on private lands.

Mayor’s Office, Commission on Sustainability, City of Bloomington
The Bloomington Commission on Sustainability (BCOS) promotes economic development, environmental health, and social equity in our community for present and future generations. The commission gathers and disseminates information; promotes practical initiatives; and measures, monitors, and reports on our community's progress toward sustainability.

Mayor’s Office, Communications, City of Bloomington
The Communications team is the voice of City of Bloomington government, transmitting information about City programs and services to Bloomington residents and visitors. Our primary goals are to increase awareness of government activities and to create greater involvement between citizens and their local government. We also identify collaborative opportunities among City departments and educational institutions, nonprofits, businesses, and Monroe County government.

Monroe County Community School Corporation
The MCCSC Extended Services Department deals mainly with non-instructional issues. The four major departments are Facilities/Maintenance, Custodial, Food Service, and Transportation. The department oversees building construction and renovations, energy management, indoor air quality, integrated pest management, safe school plans, and security. We manage more than 25 buildings with more than 2 million square feet on over 500 acres.

Monroe County Highway Department
The drainage engineer assists the Drainage Board in reviewing storm water systems for new developments and coordinates the county’s storm water quality management program. As growth takes place, practices are being implemented so that the flow regime and water quality in the receiving streams mimics that of streams found in undisturbed watersheds as closely as possible.

Monroe County Planning Department
The Monroe County Planning Department performs a vital role in creating and communicating a vision of the county and acts as the primary coordinating agency in the development, adoption, and implementation of the county's land use plans and policies. The department provides both current and long range planning services to various County boards and to the general public.

Monroe County Probation Department
The mission of the Monroe County Probation Department is to promote a safer community by intervening in the lives of offenders, holding them accountable, and serving as a catalyst for positive change.

Parks and Recreation Department, City of Bloomington
Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department provides essential services, facilities and programs necessary for the positive development and well being of the community through the provision of parks, greenways, trails, and recreational facilities while working in cooperation with other service providers in the community in order to maximize all available resources.

Planning Department, City of Bloomington
The Planning Department administers the policies, programs and regulations that manage development within the City of Bloomington. The department ensures the sound management of community growth and the protection of its quality of life and economic vitality through comprehensive and long-range planning. City planners work on such issues as environmental planning, neighborhood planning, zoning code compliance, and review of development proposals.

Public Works Department, City of Bloomington
The Department of Public Works ensures that the City's public facilities are kept in excellent condition. Public Works is also responsible for administrative duties associated with numerous commissions such as the Arts Commission and the Board of Public Works. The department directs the policies, programs, and activities for seven divisions: Animal Care & Control, Engineering, Fleet Maintenance, Parking Enforcement, Sanitation, Street, and Traffic.

Town of Ellettsville
Ellettsville town government consists of the Town Council and Clerk-Treasurer as well as Street, Utilities, Police, and Fire Departments. The five-member Town Council and Clerk-Treasurer oversee the administrative and financial functions of the town government. Ellettsville officials strive to work closely with other elected officials and area organizations that have a stake in the well being of the community.

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Advisory Board

Jennifer Forney
Director of Graduate Student Services, SPEA

Beth Gazley
SPEA Assistant Professor, Nonprofit Management

Dorothy Granger
Executive Director, Girls Incorporated of Monroe County

Kirsten Grønbjerg
SPEA Professor, Nonprofit Management

Daniel Grundman
Director of Employee Services, City of Bloomington

Barry Lesow
Executive Director, Monroe County United Way

Carol Maloney
Vice President – Education/Franklin Initiative, Bloomington Chamber of Commerce

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