Drew Stelljes' Blog

If a group of people convened for the purpose of reestablishing the United States (aka rewriting the Declaration of Independence) I bet that most of the principles would be about the same.

Ever think about how when you are a kid you are encouraged to try all sorts of activities. My kids have already tried soccer, pottery, basketball, painting, swimming, gymnastics, art class, ballet, singing, dancing and more.

Kids are fun, right? They do not care what they wear and they don't care who is watching when they laugh, cry, pick their nose, eat with their hands and dance.

Students in my freshman seminar class are required to complete an array of writing assignments. They need and deserve a chance to write freely and express the emotionality of working with community. Madelyn Smith gave me permission to post one of her journal entries. It is insightful and provocative.

Tree farmers tell the story about how if you want strong trees you've gotta be tough on them when they are saplings. Don't water them much, smack them around a bit, do not shelter them from the rain, wind, and snow. Gives them a chance to dig deep roots.

Daily problems can seem so large until you go outside and realize how very small we all are. We are only here for a brief time and no matter how much we agonize over problems, the vast universe will still inspire us and keep us in balance.

Each April my office sponsors an evening of awards, recognition and fun. We call it Celebration of Service.

It is in the moments of emotional inspiration and intellectual curiosity that our new office assumes its central mission. In supporting students' personal development through service, and providing students the chance to explore their newfound intellectual curiosity, we become a portal through which 21st century liberal arts education is achieved.

Numbers seem to occupy our minds attention so there is a tendency to report on the number of service hours students complete. The higher the number, the greater the value-some would conclude. Our numbers rival, and oftentimes outpace most other schools, but in service there are elegant stories of lives transformed and at an education of higher learning that is what is worth publicizing.

In 1993, President Clinton signed into law the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 to encourage young Americans to participate in direct community service. As a result more high school age students became involved in community service and arrived at college with at least some experience volunteering in a community setting. Beginning in 1994, the Community Service Provision of the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1992 required all institutions receiving student work-study funds to allocate a minimum of five percent of the funds received to community service placements.

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of attending the 50th anniversary celebration of the chartering of CKI (also known as Circle K the college equivalant of Kiwanis). I was honored to be asked to give the keynote on the rich culture of service at W&M and to celebrate a milestone unlike anything the College has ever been a part.

For ten years I have organized an engagement academy for student leaders. Over the past 10 weeks 23 students have interacted with, learned from and been inspired by some of the most innovative social entrepreneurs and public leaders in the country.