Building a legacy of service

Kenneth Perrin, Chancellor of IU South Bend

One example of how these partnerships are impacting public education is professor William Frascella’s statewide project to improve mathematics education. With funding from a five-year, $2.1 million National Science Foundation grant, Frascella is designing a performance-based and technologically rich mathematics curriculum for teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Meanwhile, School of Education faculty member Marsha Heck is working to improve pre-collegiate classroom education. The recipient of a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Heck is using the resources of local museums to help area teachers use African and African-American art as a springboard for classroom discussions on diverse cultures.

Another example of IU South Bend’s commitment to community service is the Community Links office, which you’ll read about in today’s special IU Home Pages insert. Established in 1997, Community Links is the community’s portal to the campus’ resources.

Assigned to be a clearinghouse for volunteerism and internships, Community Links encourages participation on several levels. Annually, non-profit community agencies are invited to campus to recruit student volunteers. By opening this volunteer fair to other area universities and colleges, Community Links provides agencies with access to a larger base of potential volunteers.

Community Links also connects faculty, staff and students with numerous community agencies. IU South Bend students have provided annual assistance and tutoring at 15 community centers. Through the federally supported America Reads program, more than 60 IU South Bend students have tutored local schoolchildren to improve reading skills. America Reads tutors are being joined by America Counts tutors who are helping young people with mathematics.

Other community service projects have included more than 50 staff members joining Madison School students for a day dedicated to enrichment activities; more than 40 students, staff and faculty participating in the annual Christmas in April program, and more than 60 volunteers providing home renovations through the city of South Bend’s Good Neighbor program.

Add to the above activities the involvement and accomplishments of those featured in the accompanying articles, and it is clear that IU South Bend’s faculty, staff and students are building a legacy of community service.

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