BEMIDJI, Minn. — Bemidji State University is one of five higher education institutions in Minnesota to receive a capacity-building grant from the Minnesota Campus Compact. This $20,000 grant will help Bemidji State determine its abilities to begin a service-learning and campus-community collaboration initiative over the next 18 months.
With the grant, Bemidji State proposes to create a student-driven Community Leadership Center, a vision articulated by the student organization Students Today, Leaders Forever meant to inspire participation in activities surrounding the University’s civic engagement signature theme.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this project is that the design for the initiative is student-conceived and student-focused,” Lisa Erwin, vice president for student development and enrollment said.
The proposed Community Leadership Center will be the on-campus clearing house to connect students with leadership opportunities that address serious community issues. The grant will supply the capacity building and early implementation resources to plan the center and establish a framework for sustainability. The University will inventory current leadership and civic engagement capacity and initiate a student-focused discussion and planning process to create the center. The BSU Student Senate and Students Today, Leaders Forever will be the key planning participants for the project with facilitation and mentorship from staff at Bemdiji State and the Headwaters Regional Development Commission.
“This grant will help Bemidji State University determine its abilities to support the activities of students who have a great enthusiasm and passion for community involvement,” T. Todd Masman, director of the Hobson Memorial Union, said. “We are going to assess the places where we can make a difference, and find places in the community that have needs we can meet.”
The Community Service-Learning & Campus-Community Collaboration Initiatives grant program has been coordinated by Minnesota Campus Compact since 1994. Funding for the program is provided by the State of Minnesota through the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.
Bemidji State joins Central Lakes College, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, St. Cloud State University and St. Olaf College as recipients of this year’s capacity-building grants from the Minnesota Campus Compact.
For more information, contact Masman at the Hobson Memorial Union at (218) 755-3765.
About Minnesota Campus Compact
Minnesota Campus Compact is affiliated with Campus Compact, a national network of more than 1,100 campuses, 32 state compacts and a national office, all committed to the civic purposes of higher education. Minnesota Campus Compact is the only higher education coalition in Minnesota that includes a critical mass of public and private, two-year and four-year, urban, suburban and rural campuses dedicated to the civic purposes of higher education.
For further information on the Minnesota Campus Compact, visit its Web site at: http://www.mncampuscompact.org.