Dear Colleagues:
I am delighted to invite undergraduate and graduate students in your college or unit to participate in the Spring 2021 We CU Community Engaged Scholars program. This program supports our mission to serve our community and expand high quality and interdisciplinary community engagement activities for students across our campus.
Since its launch in summer of 2020, more than 800 students from 12 different colleges have served the local community through We CU. These students completed 15,171 hours of service and training, including 163 service projects with community partners.
We CU empowers students to make a positive impact in the community while building their resume/CV and enriching their university experience. We CU honors students for their community-based work and provides them with training, connection to like-minded peers, access to service opportunities with partner organizations, and support from program leaders. Students completing 20 hours of service each semester will be honored at a spring awards ceremony, with distinct recognition given to those who complete 300 hours of service over the course of four years.
This opportunity will be particularly attractive to the following groups of students:
- Students enrolled in academic programs that have built-in service requirements: These service hours can count toward We CU scholar recognition.
- Students participating in service learning courses or groups: We CU matches projects from community organizations with service learning courses and groups. These service hours can count toward We CU scholar recognition.
- Students motivated to enrich their university experience, build their resume/CV, and make a positive impact in the community: We CU allows students to view and sign up for open service opportunities. Students may also gain recognition for self-identified service projects.
This program strengthens our commitment to developing future leaders with deep understanding of their communities and commitment to making a positive impact. Please encourage representation from your college, department or institute in this program by sharing the one-page program summary with appropriate faculty, staff and students in your unit.
Students can enroll in the Spring 2021 program by visiting wecu.illinois.edu/join-we-cu.
Thank you for your partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Jones
Chancellor