Serve 2 Succeed Corps
The Serve 2 Succeed Corps is an initiative from Kansas Campus Compact and funded by AmeriCorps, designed to harness the power of peer mentoring and service-learning to increase student retention at all colleges in Kansas.
S2S Corps Members serve as peer mentors to first-year students at their higher education institution that demonstrate one or more characteristics that indicate a risk of withdrawing from college prior to completing their planned degree program. These peer mentors will not only provide academic and social support for their mentees but they will also incorporate joint mentor-mentee co-curricular service-learning activities in their mentoring.
Goals:
The S2S Corps aims to increase first-to-second year student retention. Specifically, the goal is for the retention rate of those receiving peer mentoring through the S2S Corps to be 10 percentage points higher than the institutional average for all other first year students. This will be measured by mid-point mentee surveys and anonymous data collection on mentee enrollment and attendance for classes in the subsequent fall term after the program year.
A secondary goal is to increase the commitment to a lifetime of civic engagement by S2S Corps Members.
Student Benefits:
Every student who completes a 300-hour term of service in the S2S Corps will receive an education award from AmeriCorps that can be used for future educational expenses or to pay off existing student loans.
For 2011-2012, the value of the award is $1,175.
In addition, each S2S Corps Member will be eligible for a stipend of up to $1,500 (paid bi-weekly).
Member Expectations (Students):
Each S2S Corps Member must contribute 300 hours of service, primarily through direct peer mentoring of between one and four first-year students who the university has identified as at risk of withdrawing from the university before their second year. Service must be completed between August 1, 2011 and July 31, 2012. Members are expected to contribute the following
- Provide academic and social support, encouragement, role modeling, and accountability to their mentees.
- Track their service hours online and submit monthly reflections on their own service experiences and complete a post-service survey evaluating their opinions on civic engagement.
- Participate in at least 6 high-quality co-curricular service-learning activities alongside their mentees. At least one of these must be in conjunction with either a National Day of Service or Kansas Day, and at least one must be tied to AmeriCorps Week in the spring. S2S Corps Members, either individually or as a campus team, may plan these joint mentor-mentee service experiences themselves or they may coordinate with and participate in service opportunities planned by other campus organizations.
- Design and conduct reflection activities with their mentees after the joint service activities using best practices in co-curricular service-learning.
Campus Eligibility:
Any institution that is a member in good standing of Kansas Campus Compact may apply to participate in the S2S Corps. The program may operate on the institution’s main campus or satellite campuses or a combination of both.
There are a total of 60 Member positions available state-wide for 12 KsCC members. Member allocations will be made based on the number of high-quality campus applications received.
Campus Expectations:
Participating campuses are expected to provide the following (with support from Kansas Campus Compact):
- Identify a Campus Coordinator who serves as the key point of contact for S2S Corps Members and Kansas Campus Compact staff. The Campus Coordinator should have a significant role in student retention rates and/or promoting civic engagement and community service on campus. The Campus Coordinator should also be able to commit to a one-day training event for all Campus Coordinators. We estimate that during the year, Campus Coordinators will spend approximately 225 hours of their time managing the program, and each Campus Coordinator will receive $2,000 for their time.
- Establish or connect to a campus peer mentoring program that addresses the goals of the S2S Corps and identifies first-year student mentees who are at risk of withdrawal to receive mentoring services.
- Develop and implement a plan to promote the program on campus to potential Members and establish a rigorous, inclusive selection process to ensure recruitment of high-quality, committed individuals.
- Fill all requested slots and encourage all Members to complete their service.
- Conduct (with Kansas Campus Compact support) a training and orientation session for all recruited members.
- Conduct monthly group meetings with S2S Corps Members to establish cohesion and offer further training.
- Demonstrate a process to collaborate with necessary campus offices to collect necessary data on student retention.
- Review and submit all necessary time sheets, reflections, and reports.
What is AmeriCorps?
AmeriCorps is a federal program that provides grants to public and nonprofit
organizations that sponsor community service programs around the country, including faith-based and community organizations,
higher education institutions, and public agencies. Grants assist these groups in recruiting, training and placing AmeriCorps
members to meet critical community needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment.
The purpose of AmeriCorps grants is to engage individuals to perform direct service and capacity-building to address
unmet community needs. Local programs design service activities for a team of members serving full- or part-time for one year
or during the summer. Sample activities include tutoring and mentoring youth, assisting crime victims, building homes, and
restoring parks. AmeriCorps members also mobilize community volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the organizations where
they serve.
The organizations that receive grants are responsible for recruiting, selecting, and supervising AmeriCorps members to serve
in their programs.
Materials for Campus Coordinators
Here you'll find items important for the administration, operation, and support of Serve 2 Succeed Corps programs on individual KsCC campuses, including:
- Campus application
- Coordinator training materials
- Policies guidance
- Forms and templates for campus reporting and management
Materials for Students
Here you'll find all the necessary materials for students interested in or currently participating as Serve 2 Succeed Corps members, including:
- Member enrollment and exit documents
- Member training materials
- Tools for effective mentoring and service activities
- Links to social media applications to connect with other S2S Corps members across Kansas
For more information contact:
John Hatfield
Assistant Director for Service Programs
Kansas Campus Compact
103 Leadership Studies Building
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-3674
785-532-6542 fax
jrhfield@k-state.edu
