V. Public Service At the outset of his term, President Sullivan challenged the College community to reaffirm its commitment to public service and to identify ways in which public service could be further integrated into the life of the College. As a first step towards reaching that goal, he appointed a Task Force which issued a report and made a set of recommendations in the summer of 1994.

The Task Force defined public service as "the giving of time, knowledge, and skills for the benefit of others" and saw it as being provided to a wide variety of "publics" including, but not limited to, professional and disciplinary organizations, governmental agencies, public schools and other institutions of learning, and non-profit and for-profit organizations. The Task Force also recognized that while individuals might choose to engage in a wide range of public service activities, "the college should focus on the identification, stimulation, and reward of those service activities that are directly related to the faculty member's academic role whether in teaching or research or in the traditional category of service.... What determines relevance to the faculty member's role is not the public served but rather the extent to which the service is related to the faculty member's academic and professional expertise." Equally, the Task Force recommended that members of the administration also contribute their professional expertise to the community.

Surveys of both student organizations and academic programs made clear to the Task Force how strong a commitment to public service already characterizes this community. In the academic year 1993-94 students reported over 34,500 volunteer hours. The Junior Survey of the College's student assessment program revealed that more than half of those responding reported that they had volunteered in a community service activity in the past year.

Of the twenty-seven academic programs, departments and schools that responded to the survey, seventy percent reported that their academic program already incorporated public and community service and fifty-nine percent indicated a desire to expand their efforts to link service with the academic program in their units. Most also reported significant involvement of their faculties in professionally related service activities. The major obstacles to greater involvement included competing demands, lack of time, and an undervaluing of service in the current reward system.

The Committee recommends that goals 1 and 2 below be considered and implemented through the College's traditional governance system and administrative procedures, and that goals 3 and 4 be implemented immediately.

Goal 1:
To make public service a more visible part of the curriculum.

Strategies:

1. Encourage members of the faculty who have an interest in integrating public service into their teaching, to submit course proposals for approval through the normal procedures.
2. Provide financial and other support for course development through the Charles Center and other appropriate faculty development initiatives.

Strategies:

1. Refer the relevant sections of the Task Force report to departments and schools and ask that, as part of their review of the merit system called for in Section IV.A. above, they consider the weight that should be given to professionally related public service.
2. Refer the relevant sections of the Task Force report to supervisors of professional and administrative faculty and ask that they consider the weight that should be given to professionally related public service within the merit pay system.

Strategies:

1. Through the Office of Student Volunteer Services, develop ongoing William and Mary service projects as focal points for student activities. Service projects should address the needs of the local community and might, as appropriate, draw upon academic strengths of the College.
2. Emphasize the theme of public service in the College's recruiting materials, admissions activities, orientation sessions, and residence life activities, and through the speakers chosen and awards given at significant College events such as Opening Convocation, Charter Day and Commencement.

Strategies:

1. Create college-wide Presidential and other awards to recognize outstanding service contributions of faculty, staff, students and organizations.
2. Enhance communications and public relations efforts to highlight the College's commitment to public service.
3. Extend the College's reach in public service beyond the local community by using technology such as teleconferencing.
4. Seek funding to create such service-related programs as a university lecture series, a public-servant-in-residence program, additional public service scholarships, public service awards, and a special-interest residence with a community service focus.
5. Ensure continuation of the newly created Office of Student Volunteer Service and, in order to support its work:
• establish an advisory committee to include not only students, faculty, and administrators but also representatives from the community to work closely with the Coordinator of Student Volunteer Service to monitor service programs and identify new service opportunities; and
• create a process for ongoing assessment of service activities with links to the College's assessment program.