Throughout the 2015-2016 academic year, the Carolina Center for Public Service supported students, faculty and staff in their efforts to engage with local, national and global communities. Take a look at their engaged scholarship and service and some ways they connected with and had an impact on the community.
2015-16 Annual Highlights
Buckley Public Service Scholars
Last year, 217 seniors graduated in the 2016 class of Buckley Public Service Scholars, bringing the total number of scholars to 2,158. These graduates reported more than 98,000 hours of service: 74 percent primarily benefited North Carolina, 12 percent other states and 14 percent other countries. These graduates represented 45 North Carolina counties, 20 other states and China.
Community Engagement Fellowship
CCPS awarded fellowships to six graduate students to develop and implement five engaged scholarship projects in communities throughout North Carolina. These projects addressed local and global issues including food insecurity, health promotion among young men of color, free dental care and education, race and waste in aluminum production, and refugee access to mental health services.
MacDonald Community Service Scholarship
Four first-year students received inaugural MacDonald Community Service Scholarships, connecting them to a unique series of programs to increase their knowledge and skills in community service. These students also participated in the First-Year Service Corps, which provides opportunities for selected first-year students to interact with faculty and staff to deepen their academic and practical experience in public service.
APPLES Service-Learning Internships
Thanks to private support from the Strowd Roses Foundation and Dr. Jesse L. White Jr., the number of internships increased. During the 2015-2016 academic year, 51 service-learning interns worked with nonprofit and government agencies providing more than 12,750 service hours.You can support service and engagement with a gift to the Center.
Give now and learn more about the Center’s work at
CCPS.UNC.EDU/annual-report
APPLES Service-Learning Courses
APPLES offered 78 service-learning courses in 26 departments to nearly 1,800 students who completed more than 52,000 hours of service. Students connected with programs like Birth Partners, a volunteer doula program coordinated by Rhonda Lanning in the School of Nursing. With support from a course development grant provided by the Center, Lanning also taught Supporting the Childbearing Family, an APPLES service-learning course that brought together doulas and students for an immersive hands-on educational experience.
Public Service Awards
Ten individuals and organizations representing students, faculty, staff and community partners were honored with 2016 Public Service Awards. Projects recognized ranged from combatting food insecurity to supporting Native American tribes in North Carolina. In addition to these awards, 47 other students were recognized as fellowship and scholarship recipients.
APPLES Service-Learning Alterative Breaks
Last year, APPLES alternative breaks engaged 183 participants in service and educational activities with nearly 100 community partners across North Carolina, the Southeast and the mid-Atlantic. Offered during fall, winter and spring breaks, APPLES alternative break experiences focus on issues such as the environment; civil rights; disaster relief; violence prevention; and urban, rural and Latino communities.
Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars
Nine faculty members worked on projects to advance their engaged scholarship through the program’s two-year experiential, competency-based curriculum. These scholars worked in partnership with organizations like Community Health and Mobility Partnership (CHAMP) in western North Carolina where Vicki Mercer, associate professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences, worked with organizations in McDowell, Caldwell and Watauga counties to decrease the risk of falls for older adults.