FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2003
CONTACT: John G. Hammond, San Antonio College Director of Public Relations
210.733.2147
SAC Service Learning Creates Partnerships, Real-World Education
Service Learning, a program linking classroom education to relevant public service, began in 1993 under President Clinton
as the National and Community Service Act and was soon put into practice at San Antonio College. Since Audrey Grams filled
a newly created position of Service-Learning Coordinator in 2001, the program has experienced significant growth, generated
new community partnerships, and given students a "real-world" component to the classroom.
Increased Participation
Grams reports a steady increase in both the number of college-agency partnerships and the involvement of faculty and
students in the past four semesters. For example, 150 students performed 3,052 hours of community service in the Fall
2001, in comparison with the Fall 2002 Semester when 735 students performed 10,384 hours of community service.
Valuable Community Service
The kinds of service vary with student interests and classroom topics. Some of the agency partnerships are with Junior
Achievement, San Antonio Youth Literacy, and the San Antonio State Hospital (SASH).
Psychology students studying under Dr. Pam Hill and A. Douglas McKenzie performed 539 hours of volunteer service for the
hospital's Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program for six months, which was valued at $7,993, and the SASH Volunteer Services
Council honored them with the Volunteer Group of the Year Award for 2002.
"The students were directly involved with patient programs. They read case histories . . . and quickly learned that they
would serve as the models for appropriate behavior during patient interaction," said Robert C. Arizpe, SASH Superintendent.
He added, "They learned to provide 'cues' and occasionally 'redirect' the patients as they carried out various tasks
designed to increase their independent living skills, [which] created an opportunity for the therapists to deliver services
in a more individualized manner."
Broader Education
Sometimes Service Learning can involve student research in the community, such as a Human Sexuality class that researched
the kind of sex education being conducted in the San Antonio public schools and related state and national legislation.
Some of the academic disciplines that have integrated Service Learning experiences into classroom work include
anthropology, management, child development, dental assisting, education, English, history, humanities, interdisciplinary
studies, math, physical education, psychology, sociology, and speech.
The program requires students to reflect on their experiences in writing or orally. An anthropology student in one of
Professor Anthony Lyle's classes summed up one of the main attractions of Service Learning for students: "I think Service
Learning is an excellent way to allow students hands-on access to their career field early on and is a valuable educational
tool."
Seeds for Growth
Grams fosters new opportunities with Service Learning and Volunteer Fairs at San Antonio College. The Spring 2003 fair
brought to campus more than 35 agencies, whose representatives talked with students and faculty. Also, Service Learning
Mini Grants of $900 give faculty an incentive to design or revise curricula to include Service Learning and reflection as
teaching and learning objectives in their courses.
More information about Service Learning at San Antonio College is available at www.accd.edu/sac/service or by contacting
Grams at 785-6044 or agrams@accd.edu.