Chapter 6
Campus Culture

 

6.5 Public Service

The activities of Saginaw Valley State University in the area of community and public service are varied and broad: a conference center for the area, cultural performances in the theater and recital hall, the athletic program, facilities use by community groups, the regional library available to the public, volunteer service by students in the local community, and specific services as a resource for area businesses.

Community Service

The university recognizes the importance of providing community service; the Vice President for Public Affairs oversees and cultivates government and community relations activities and also directs fundraising activities, another key venue for university/community interaction. Community support for the university can be seen in the generous endowments for buildings and programs. The Foundations Board, the Board of Fellows, and the Alumni Board are formal bodies connecting the university and the community, but the University is increasingly connected to the community less formally as well as through the number of programs and events hosted by or held at the University.

In addition to the cultural activities discussed earlier, notable endeavors include the following:

• Athletic events. The recent success of the football team, rated the top Division II team in the nation, has brought new attention to the university and new support for its programs. SVSU also hosted Detroit Lions training camps for several seasons, bringing several hundred thousand fans to campus. The Ryder Athletic Complex is in high demand for use by community groups for athletic meets, trade shows, boat shows, and church groups using the facilities for youth programs.

• Vision Tri-County, for which SVSU serves as the fiduciary agent. Formed in 1999 by leaders of SVSU, Delta Community College, the Chambers of Commerce of the three communities comprising SVSU's primary service area (Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw) and private sector leaders from the three communities, its purpose is to explore regional concerns and opportunities leading to increased economic development for the entire region. Funded by these Chambers of Commerce and local economic development organizations, Vision Tri-County engages in studies, research, and most recently (2002), a regional marketing campaign. In 2002, with the initiation of the Center for Business and Economic Development (CBED) at SVSU, the Vision Tri-County organization is now coordinated through this University unit, which also administers the Center for Manufacturing Improvement and SVSU’s Continuing Education program. This arrangement makes possible participation by SVSU faculty and students in Vision Tri-County projects.

• Saginaw Valley State University Regional Mathematics and Science Center, established in 1989 by the Michigan Legislature and the University. The Center serves 35 public and 70 non-public districts in rural, suburban, and urban communities in a five-county region. The Center works closely with school districts to support mathematics and science education for all students, through a variety of outreach professional development activities for teachers and enrichment activities for students in the areas of mathematics, science and technology. The Center maintains a circulating collection of curricular materials, aligned to the Michigan Curriculum Framework benchmarks, for use by area K-12 educators. The Center also partners with the Bay Area Community Foundation to develop curriculum materials aligned to Michigan Curriculum Frameworks in K-12 science and social studies. The Center played a leading role in disseminating MICLIMB Science and Mathematics materials around the state through a Higher Education Eisenhower Grant. This activity provided support to 24 Mathematics and Science Center Teams from across the state and an additional 12 local teams in SVSU’s service area.

• The Office of Continuing Education, which offers non-credit continuing education opportunities for the community. An Institute for Learning in Retirement, introduced in September, 2001, is a membership-based organization that offers non-credit classes for individuals over 50. Support for this program has been received from local foundations, corporations, and individuals.

In addition to these initiatives, faculty and staff share their expertise by serving on community advisory and governing boards, through the performing arts, in K-12 classroom presentations, judging science fairs, and establishing business/industry partnerships in the science and technology arena. It is not uncommon to find faculty appearing in the local media during elections, times of national crisis, or discussing health and educational issues.

The university’s Endowed Chairs provide community and public service in their respective areas as part of their charge to help develop distinctive programs for the institution. Each college offers a number of community and public services, from the Marshall Fredericks Art Gallery to Social Work field placements in Arts and Behavioral Sciences, from the Executive in Residence Program to the Family Business Program (discussed in Chapter 5) in the College of Business.

Many other areas of service contribute to the university’s mission in more mundane, but no less significant, ways. Students, faculty, and staff donate their time, money, talent, clothing, and even blood to numerous organizations in the Tri-City area, including the Red Cross, East Side Soup Kitchen, and Habitat for Humanity. University-community interaction fosters student appreciation of cultural diversity, awareness of social issues in the local or global community, insight on new career opportunities, or perhaps a more sensitive outlook toward human disabilities. The university has hired a Student Volunteer Coordinator to manage these activities, and student service organizations are among the most active on campus. The community highlights these activities and honors student volunteers at the annual Student-Community Service Recognition Luncheon given by the SVSU Board of Fellows and President Gilbertson.

These comprise just a few of the possibilities for enrichment afforded by the university to the community. It is through this network of human contact, based on service at the local, regional, national and international levels, that the purpose of the university becomes manifest.