Service Learning
Course Development Grant Program
The COVE and the Upstate Institute, in partnership with the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, offer course development grants to support Colgate faculty with teaching interests that involve community engagement. These grants include a faculty stipend and support for course-related expenses to develop a new class, a revised class, or an existing class that has included service-learning projects and received course development funding in previous semesters. We look for proposals that engage students in community outreach and fit the objectives outlined in the grant proposal.
Please Note: A successful application will pertain to the next academic year, not this current year.
Contact Jeremy Wattles at jwattles@colgate.edu with further questions.
Discretionary Funding
Faculty may request discretionary funding from the COVE throughout the current academic year to support publicly engaged scholarship, teaching, or learning. These funds may also support collaborations and discussions with community partners. For more information, contact Jeremy Wattles at jwattles@colgate.edu
Community Based Research with the Upstate Institute
Faculty may find additional financial and logistical support for community based research with our colleagues in the Upstate Institute. The UI encourages scholarship on, or directly pertaining to, the Upstate New York region by providing support for both the costs of research as well as stipend awards for the faculty researchers.
Faculty Resources
The COVE has compiled a list of links and documents to assist faculty should they wish to pursue publicly engaged teaching, learning, and research. We are here to support and imagine possibilities with any and all faculty who wish to explore answers to the enduring question: what is the public purpose of higher education?
Community Engagement Opportunities
High School Seminar Instructor
The High School Seminar Program uses Colgate’s resources to benefit the region by introducing area high school students to college-level topics that are not available at their schools. It also encourages college attendance by providing them with the opportunity to experience a taste of life on a college campus. Faculty members are invited to teach a 3-class course to local high school students. For more information, reach out to highschoolseminar@colgate.edu.
Alternative Break Program Leader
The COVE offers a variety of alternative break service trips during the winter and spring. These trips engage students in community service and deepen students' understanding of pertinent social issues through interaction, collaboration, and experiential learning. If you are interested in co-leading a trip, please contact Libby Boissy at eboissy@colgate.edu
Salvage Volunteer
Each year, while they move off campus, the COVE encourages students to donate unwanted items to local non-profit organizations. Faculty, staff, and students work together to collect and sort these items in Starr Rink to be collected by those organizations. Last year, the COVE distributed more than $60,000 worth of items to the local community. Contact Sarah Sparber at ssparber@colgate.edu to volunteer for the program.
Day of Service Volunteer
The COVE invites the campus community to join in the national days of service surrounding 9/11, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Earth Day. Students, faculty, and staff dedicate an afternoon to volunteering with local community partners.