RELEASED: January 7, 2010

By Kerri Howard

DANVILLE, KY—In December 2009, Centre College was selected as one of only a few institutions in Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky to participate in the Learn and Serve America Pay it Forward program. In Kentucky, only four colleges and universities were selected to participate.

The program, administered by the Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky Campus Compacts, promotes student-led and course-based philanthropy initiatives that enhance student learning and strengthen community capacity.

Local non-profit agencies in Danville have a chance to add up to $5,500 to their budgets this January, thanks to this program's being implemented at Centre.

To be considered for the award, agencies must be willing to talk with and be visited by Centre students in professor Mary Rudd's "Education Advocacy Through Non-profits" course.

Any and all non-profit agencies are encouraged to participate in this first year of what is projected as a multi-year program.

Students will have one month to interview, visit and volunteer at state and local non-profit agencies.

Based on their experiences and research, the class will decide which agency (or agencies) will be awarded the $5,500 at the end of January 2010.

In other words, students in Rudd's class will be putting their education to work.

"This class is a true example of learning-by-doing, of learning through collaboration between the community and the academic world," says Rudd. "In this class, we'll involve stakeholders on the state and local level, as well as a representative of the Danville Independent Schools. This is an exciting opportunity for Centre students to apply concepts they'll learn in class."

Centre's involvement in the project reflects the College's commitment to experiential, community-based learning.

"It's a great way to grow the community-based learning program at Centre, because it both helps our community partners and gives extra significance to the academic work that the students were already going to be doing in the class," says Kerri Howard, who is an AmeriCorps*Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) employee working through Kentucky Campus Compact as Centre's Community-Based Learning Coordinator.

"We’re all members of the same community, and this program helps us to keep that on-campus versus off-campus distinction as fluid as possible," adds Howard.

This is the first of at least three years in which such philanthropic courses will be offered at Centre. However, agencies interested in being considered for the January 2010 grant should act fast and contact Kerri Howard at (859) 238-5298 or kerri.howard@centre.edu.

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail leigh.ivey@centre.edu with your feedback.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.