CUNY Service Corps

Dear Faculty & Staff,
  
I would like to request your support in promoting the CUNY Service Corps to your most deserving students. This experiential learning program presents a tremendous opportunity for CCNY students to be of service to their communities; to augment their academic studies with practical experience; and to receive professional training and development, which will prepare them not only for academic success, but personal and professional success beyond their time in higher education.

The application deadline for the 2016-2017 Cohort of theCUNY Service Corps is March 20, 2016; that’s less than 1 week away! All eligible students are encouraged to submit an application by the deadline. Time is short, but the online application is brief. It requires three (3) short essays of 200 words or less, and the name of a faculty member or advisor who is willing to submit a recommendation. All students who are accepted into the Service Corps, are guaranteed a placement with one of our 135+ community partners in the Fall. Few programs can make such an assurance.

There is an info session scheduled forTuesday, March 15 @ 3:00pm in the Hoffman Atrium,and a digital poster presentation/workshop scheduled for Thursday, March 17 @ 12:30pm in the NAC Ballroom.

I would like to ask you to communicate this opportunity to your students, and stress to them the importance of taking advantage of programs like these. City College is one of only 7 CUNY schools that offer this program, which is the largest of its kind in the continental United States. Program alumni have been recruited by other prestigious organizations, such as the Clinton Foundation, to participate in other exclusive fellowships or internships; to apply for competitive scholarships; and many have received offers for employment. Please share this information with your students via email & in-class announcements. The program is open to students in any major, both undergraduate and graduate, who meet the eligibility requirements (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/ae/eligibility-2).Some of our recent partnerships might be of special interest to students in Education, Human Services, Economic Development, or STEM fields.

 

ADDITIONAL WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR STUDENTS AND THE PROGRAM

• Serve as a reference for students with demonstrated potential. You will be asked to complete a brief form telling us why your student should be selected for the program. You will have up to a week after the final deadline to submit your recommendation.
• Serve as an application reader, group interview facilitator, or group interview observer. If you are interested in any of these functions, please register here: http://goo.gl/forms/mEHjdpvEQY. A description of each role is provided below:
  • Application Reader: Application readers will assist in reviewing all applications that the system marks as eligible. You will be asked to read student essays (each application consists of 3 essays of 200 words or less, and occasionally a 4th optional essay) and to score them according to the rubric provided. You will also be asked to rate the student in terms of demonstrating the characteristics we are looking for in Corps members. We would like to have 10 or more reviewers, to keep the number of applications each reviewer reads between 10 - 15. The application closes on 20 March, and letters of recommendation are due by 29 March. We would like to begin assigning completed applications to readers as quickly as possible following the deadline to allow sufficient time for review. (Training will be provided)
  • Group Interview Facilitator: The group interview is a 2 hour process that consists of an introduction/information session, presented by the campus manager, followed by a small group breakout session where candidates will be engaged in various activities, to help us assess their fitness to serve in the Corps. The information session lasts for 30 minutes, and the group activities run for 90 minutes. The small group sessions are led by a Facilitator, whose job it is to lead the warm-up exercise; provide instructions, directions, and materials for each activity; keep the time for each activity; and to debrief the candidates after each activity.
  • Group Interview Observer: During the group interview activities, we will need to have 2 observers per group, who will walk around the room observing student behaviors, attitudes, interactions, and responses, to assess how well they would perform in a professional workplace setting, and to see if they exhibit the characteristics necessary for success in the Corps. Observers will rate each candidate in the small group according to a rubric that will be provided.
• Faculty-Led Projects for Corps Members. CUNY is interested in adding a number of faculty-research projects to our growing list of community partners. They are particularly interested in service-oriented projects that fall within the program’s four thematic areas: Education, Health, Sustainability, and Economic Development. 

• Benefits to Faculty
  1. Students are paid $12.00 per hour for their work through the program (no cost to faculty!)
  2. Students work for 12 hours per week for a total of 24 weeks in the fall and spring semesters (2016 - 2017).
  3. The hiring, training, payroll processing, and on-going support of students will be administered and coordinated by CUNY Service Corps staff, the Research Foundation CUNY, and campus offices.
  4. Students are selected through a rigorous application and interview process by CUNY faculty and staff.
  5. Priority will be given to projects that will enable students in the Service Corps to obtain academic credit for their work, either through connection to an existing course, an independent study, or some other arrangement. 
  6. To apply as a faculty partner, please visit: http://www1.cuny.edu/sites/servicecorps/community-partners/prospective/

For more information, visit http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/ae/servicecorps or contact Gareth Williams at servicecorps@ccny.cuny.edu or 212-650-5421

Thanks in advance,
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