History

In 1994 the William and Mary Board of Visitors approved a strategic plan that included in it the recommendation to establish a central clearinghouse of information for community service opportunities.  Initially, the office established partnerships with local non-profit agencies and energized a small but dedicated base of student volunteers in an effort to evoke a culture of service.  Students and faculty alike were recognized for their commitment to service through awards, and with broadening awareness came an increase in campus conversations about how to deepen community engagement.    In the years that followed, the College experienced a critical transformation in community engagement, characterized by prolific growth in student and faculty involvement and new experiences enriched by academic study as well as issues education.  Indicators of our growth include:  325 tutors in Williamsburg, regular trips to Petersburg, alumni partnerships in community-based learning, domestic service trips and programs across Latin America and in African countries, the Sharpe Community Scholars Program, and national awards that symbolize the success of student/faculty/community partnerships.

Today many William and Mary students embark on personal, career, and intellectual journeys into communities or settings where they witness injustice, poverty, and insufficient health care firsthand.  Some students make an emotional connection with members of very distinct populations; others harden their resolves to put their interests, talents and intellect toward creating positive change in the world.  Many return to William and Mary with a desire to connect their insights with their coursework.

Students of this generation are insisting that their learning be dynamic and that it span beyond the boundaries of campus.  As much as they want to learn about the world around them, they want to be effective as active human beings in the world.   Today's students ask more of higher education, exploring a wide array of social concerns through multidisciplinary lenses with active intentions and purpose.  We witness students and faculty working together with community members regularly to ask questions  and find solutions to a myriad of social concerns...problems that we realize will take years, maybe decades and possibly a lifetime to learn together how to solve.  Students are emerging as advocates in Williamsburg, Richmond, on the Eastern Shore and Petersburg, Honduras and Tanzania.  Through a blossoming interest in scholarship they are considering the role of the anthropologist, the doctor, the entrepreneur,  or the pastor for example, in entirely new ways, often seeing themselves fitting meaningfully into a role for the first time.  It is in these moments alongside community members, their peers and their faculty that they are making meaning of their life and their education at William and Mary.   They are finding purpose.

The central mission of the Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship is to respond creatively and productively to this dynamic mix of emotional inspiration and intellectual curiosity at William and Mary .  We are proud of our student and faculty capacity to enjoin passion with purpose, interest with intellect, citizenship with scholarship.  We strive to support their efforts with opportunities to grow in talent and skills that will help them thrive as future scholars and citizens.  The Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship is a unique portal for achieving  primary goals of a 21st century, liberal arts education - one that supports students' development through community engagement and develops curriculum to structure and guide academic progression toward productive careers and futures as citizens.

The College's newest feature in community engagement and scholarship is the Community Studies Minor.   The primary objective for a Community Studies Minor is to increase and enhance opportunities for students to engage in community-based research.  A Community Studies Minor (which is based in Interdisciplinary Studies) guides students through a structured, curriculum-based process to integrate their community-based research and engagement activities with academic plans.  While some students have crafted self-designed majors in Interdisciplinary Studies, requiring of themselves community-based research and activism in areas as varied as public health, religion and social justice, inequality, and immigration studies, others stand to benefit from an organized program that enhances and promotes community-based research opportunities that complement their existing majors.  Under the supervision of a Community Studies faculty advisor, Community Studies Minors are required to design an academic path of study that meaningfully integrates continuing community-based research and engagement with their course work, starting possibly from their first year and continuing through their senior year in progression toward a capstone or Honors research project.

Our office is located on the third floor in Blow Hall.  The third floor is  a hub of activity for students, faculty and community partners to consider a variety of ways to learn together how to respond to, and where possible, solve the growing needs of our communities.