Service Learning Commons^™

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

Leadership Skill Development In A First-Year Honors Service-Learning Seminar, Paige Haber-Curran, Trae Stewart

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The authors examine undergraduate students’ self-assessed leadership skill development before and after participation in a first-year honors service-learning seminar. A one-group, pre-test/post-test study was conducted with 651 first-year students enrolled in a first-year honors semi-nar course with a service-learning component. Participants completed the Roets Rating Scale for Leadership (RRSL). A paired-samples t-test analysis of RRSL indicates a significant de-crease in participants’ leadership skills. Results, along with implications for program design and future research are discussed.

Town And Gown: Engagement And Collaboration Between Local Municipalities And Institutions Of Higher Education, Vivian González Cueto

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The role of the local government within the context of engagement and collaboration with universities has largely been understudied. Employing a cross-sectional design, this study of 67 universities and 78 municipalities from 29 states examines how collaborative capacity impacts university and local government perceptions of engagement and collaboration with each other. The findings indicate that local government trust is the primary catalyst for both engagement and collaboration between the parties.

Next Generation Practitioner-Scholars Navigating Community Engagement Professional Development: A Collaborative Autoethnography, Lori E. Kniffin, Trina Van Schyndel, Elisabeth G. Fornaro, Jennifer W. Purcell, Stacey Muse

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This collaborative autoethnographic research study examines the motivations, experiences, and professional outcomes of seven community engagement practitioner-scholars who served in a highlevel elected position in a community engagement research association and its affiliated graduate student network. The findings highlight the role of professional associations and graduate student networks in facilitating professional development for next generation community engagement practitioner-scholars, such as supporting them in creating connections, expanding networks, developing professional identities, and cultivating cultural capital.

Cultivating A Civic Mindset: Assessing Public Relations Student Perceptions Of Service Learning And Community Involvement Beyond The Course, Christopher J. Mccollough

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Literature in service learning offers examples of professional, social, and civic value to students, faculty, and community. The literature has not fully examined the impact of student participation on their levels of civic involvement among graduates several years removed from the coursework. This study is a case analysis of seven years of graduates with public relations course experience to examine graduates’ perceptions of the value of service-learning projects, and how this translates to community engagement.

Frontline Leadership: Strategies And Tactics For First Responders, Dan P. Ziem

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

For the workshop, I plan to provide a comprehensive three to four-hour session focusing on the principles of extreme ownership—a leadership approach that has proven successful, particularly in high-pressure environments. Drawing inspiration from the renowned philosophy advocated by former Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, the workshop will dive into realistic strategies for effective leadership. To ensure relatability to the First Responder field, I will tailor the content to the unique challenges and environments faced by those in law enforcement at all levels. Real-world examples and personal experiences will be included, making the training not only educational but also …

Summer Therapy And Coaching Resource Notebook, Kelli J. Pease

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This project aims to fulfill the need for an easily accessible and well-organized resource notebook for summer Educational Therapy and Academic Coaching that our organization has talked about doing for some time now but has always lacked the manpower to make happen. I desire to have this be a stepping stone towards offering a valuable, well-defined service for our administration to offer to our students and families in the future.

This approach will address the frustration of having data and information scattered between our three schools, departments, and people. It will also take current resources, information, and opinions from other …

The Leadership Tree: Growing Leadership Through Quality Conversations, Jayke Sterling

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

As the issue of trying to coach all the staff at the same time became too overwhelming for the management team at Biolife, a solution was born. After many brainstorming ideas the final decision was made to create a leadership tree to divide the work amongst the management team while keeping a consistent vision. The final product turned out to be beneficial to both parties and increased the frequency and quality of coaching.

Capstone: Burn Surgery Education Module, Sophie J. Weber

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

I chose to solve a training and continuing education problem in my workplace, by creating a manual on burn surgery. This manual will later be turned into a computer education module, but will always be available in a hard copy as a reference material. I had to find an approach that reflected how my peers wanted to be educated and on what education points they felt were the most important to their success in surgery.

Reinventing Training At Lamb Weston, Clint G. Irvin

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

My Capstone project was about building a new training book for the operators in my facility to aid them in operating the equipment more efficiently. I did this by using the integrative thinking process and applying it to the choices I made during the process of this project.

Bonner Impact, Emily Thomas

Bonner Presentations

The mission of the Bonner Program is to transform the lives of students and members, their campuses, their local communities, and the world through service and leadership. The Bonner Program is designed to heighten the overall education students and members receive by asking them to engage in ongoing service work and helping them develop the experience, skills, knowledge, and values necessary to make that work meaningful and lasting. In this presentation, Emily Thomas describes the people and experiences which were most meaningful to her throughout her years in the Bonner Program at Ursinus College.

The Effects Of A Literacy-Based Mentoring Program On Empowering Preadolescent Girls In Their Development Of Confidence, Self-Concept, And Leadership Skillset, Sophia Vincent

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study focuses on empowering preadolescent girls to develop confidence and move from a fixed to growth mindset, take responsibility for their actions, turn failures into learning opportunities, and cultivate a love for self. GIRLS: Leaders on the Rise is a literacy-based mentoring program for preadolescent girls designed to improve confidence, positive self-concept, and develop a leadership skillset through five targeted aspects of leadership: growth mindset, integrity, resilience, love and loyalty, and strengths. Adolescence is a time when students are discovering who they are and shaping their identities. Girls decline in their self-confidence during adolescence due to fear of failure, …

Cultivating Leaders Of Indiana: Global Collaborations And Local Impacts, Jennifer Sdunzik, Annagul Yaryyeva

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

“Cultivating Leaders of Indiana” was developed to establish connections between the Purdue student body and the Frankfort, Indiana, community. By engaging high school students in workshops that focused on local, national, and global identities, the goal of the project was to encourage students to appreciate their individuality and to motivate them to translate their skills into a global perspective. Moreover, workshops centering on themes such as culture, citizenship, media, and education were designed to empower project participants to embrace their sense of social value and responsibility, not only in their immediate communities, but also globally.

Fearless Friday: Jeffrey White, Jeffrey M. White

SURGE

In today’s edition of Fearless Friday, Surge is thrilled to honor the work of the incomparable Jeffrey White ’17. Jeffrey is a junior from Baltimore, Maryland, who is majoring in Religious Studies and minoring in Music. As an incredibly active member of the campus community, he is involved in leadership roles in many facets of campus life. He works as a Resident Assistant (RA), serves as the Program Organizer for the Office of Intercultural Advancement, the Live Music Chair of the Campus Activities Board (CAB), and devotes time to being a Peer Learning Assistant for Anthropology 103 as well. [ …

Ua41 University College Connection, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, Univeristy College

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Ua41 University College Connection, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, University College, Western Kentucky University

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Alpha Phi Omega Section 50 Conference, Katherine Klindworth

A with Honors Projects

The following is an assessment of my work as Conference Chair of the Alpha Phi Omega Section 50 Fall conference hosted by the Alpha Zeta Omega chapter right here at Parkland College. In addition to a reflection on the conference I have included photos from the event and the handout provided to conference attendees.

Understanding How Institutional Leadership Affects Civic Engagement On University Campuses, Prairie Leigh Burgess

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher education in America has a long tradition of civic engagement education. Although there is theoretical and rhetorical support, many institutions still struggle with implementing effective civic engagement on their campuses. The aim of this study was to provide an understanding of factors that contribute to successful civic engagement, specifically focusing on the affect of presidential leadership. The study used a limited sample of two groups to provide comparative analysis and offer much needed statistical research for civic engagement. Institutions were identified through the organization Campus Compact and the Carnegie Foundation's elective Community Engagement classification. Institutions that had joined Campus …

Executive Summary - The Philadelphia Freedom Schools Junior Leader Project, Shelley H. Billig

Special Topics, General

The Philadelphia Freedom Schools Junior Leader Project is a bold initiative to foster leadership and civic engagement for young people in the Philadelphia School District. Beginning in 1999, the school district project was developed to help young African American and other high school students to become strong leaders in their schools and communities. The Junior Leader project recruited freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in high school to learn about their heritage; work with young children to help them gain academic skills; participate in meaningful dialogue about social justice; learn and engage in community action strategies; develop leadership skills; and create pathways …

Taking The Lead: A Preliminary Proposal For A K-12 Service-Learning Leadership Organization, Academy For Educational Development

School K-12

Service-learning's advocates are passionate about its potential as an educational reform strategy benefiting students, schools, communities, and the nation. They know that integrating service into core academic curriculum is a powerful way of engaging students' hearts and minds. By combining highly effective teaching strategies with support for students' acquiring an ethic of caring and community responsibility, service-learning does what few other pedagogies can do: it boosts students' academic achievement while also strengthening their civic-mindedness and career preparation. The American public wants students to have this kind of education. According to a new poll conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide, Americans agree …

Building Character, Trust, And Leadership: Service Learning Offers Positive Pathways To Adulthood, Kathy Checkley

School K-12

Ebony Sandusky admits it was sheer peer pressure that initially led her to participate in her school's service learning programs. Now, she says, "community service is in my blood." Sandusky, a senior at Romulus High School in Romulus, Mich., has worked on a myriad of service projects throughout her high school years. She helped organize educational symposiums on such topics as domestic violence and multiculturalism and, most recently, led the effort to provide education about safe sex to a community concerned about the growing number of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. "When I see something that needs changing, I …

Will You Be A 4-H Club Leader? : Extension Circular 0-48-2

Nebraska 4-H Clubs: Historical Materials and Publications

Booklet discussing opportunities for leadership in 4-H and propaganda to encourage you to be a leader.