| Campus Compact | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Educating Citizens • Building Communities |
| Formation | 1985 |
| Type | Non-Profit |
| Purpose/focus | Higher Education, Service-Learning, Civic engagement |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Region served | United States |
| President | Maureen Curley |
| Website | www.compact.org |
Campus Compact is a coalition of college and university presidents, committed to fulfilling the public purposes of higher education. Over 1,100 educational institutions, more than a third of all higher education providers in the United States, are members.
Thirty-five state offices and one national office support the work of member colleges. Campus Compact has members in all 50 states,many US Territories, and international member campuses in Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon and Mexico.
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The Compact was founded in 1985 by the presidents of Brown, Georgetown and Stanford universities, and the president of the Education Commission of the States.
Initially, the work of the Compact focused on engaging students in community service. Media coverage at the time portrayed college-age students as part of a 'me generation', more interested in increasing their wealth and status than serving their community. The founding presidents aimed to counteract this prevailing image, by showcasing the good work college students were already and providing support and encouragement for others to participate.
In 1988, the first two state Compact offices were formed to provide greater support to campuses and build regional and local networks.
In 1991, membership had reached 500 colleges and universities. By this time, national attention had turned to the connection between participation in community service and academic achievement. Campus Compact launched the Integrating Service with Academic Study (ISAS) initiative, which funded grants and workshops to support colleges interested in building service-learning into their institutions.
By 2000, service-learning had become an increasingly important educational movement. Campus Compact began a series of publications that documented the effects of service learning and provided resources to help faculty and departments build their own programs and curricula.
In 2002, Campus Compact launched the Raise Your Voice campaign, the Compact's first national effort to work with students themselves. Over the two years of the campaign, the participation of more than 250,000 students was documented.
In 2005, the 20th year of its existence, Campus Compact had grown to 32 state offices and more than 1000 member campuses.
Over time, the Compact has grown from a presidents' organization to one that supports the work of a variety of constituencies - college presidents, faculty, staff, students and community partners.
In 2009, Campus Compact moved its national office from the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island to the Downtown Crossing district of Boston, Massachusetts. They share an office building with the New England Board of Higher Education.
Thirty Campus Compact offices host AmeriCorps VISTA programs to build campus-community partnerships. The Volunteers in Service to America, or simply VISTA, program was created in the 1960s to address poverty issues in America's communities. Campus Compact has hosted VISTA members since 1997.
Campus Compact VISTA volunteers work to engage college student populations in their communities through service-learning and community engagement. VISTA members recruit college students to work with diverse community agencies ranging from after-school programs such as the 21st Century Extended Day Program, and Big Brothers Big Sisters to housing and food programs like Habitat for Humanity and various food banks.
VISTAs also focus on college access and retentions programs to promote success of at-risk and first generation college students. In the late 2000s (decade), many VISTA programs started to focus on fighting poverty with more environmentally sustainable practices. Many VISTA members help facilitate one-time service projects with their host campus as well. Some of the more common programs include Alternative Spring Break trips and the MLK Challenge.
VISTA volunteers commit to one full year of service at their site. Almost all Campus Compact VISTA positions require a Bachelor's or Associate's degree. Even though Campus Compact VISTAs are predominately placed on college campuses, they act as the liaison to the community to help attenuate the town and gown image of their communities.[1]
Campus Compact's national office currently distributes three awards:
Along with these awards, the individual state Campus Compact offices award civicly engaged faculty, staff, students and community agencies of their member campuses.[2]
Started in 1989, the Integrating Service with Academic Study Initiative altered Campus Compact's emphasis to service that is integrally connected to course content in a wide variety of disciplines, rather than service outside the curriculum.
The Raise Your Voice campaign, which supported over 250,000 college students in student-led efforts to become involved in public life.