VT Engage and Division of Student Affairs will partner to expand service learning and civic engagement opportunities
Virginia Tech’s community learning collaborative, VT Engage, is moving to a new home that will allow its program to develop, thrive, and reach a new level of excellence in student leadership and civic engagement.
During the 2013-14 academic year, VT Engage will align with the Division of Student Affairs to form a dynamic partnership designed to help students reach their potential as engaged leaders in their communities. The VT Engage offices will move from Burruss Hall to New Hall West.
“Our students fully embrace the spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) and they continue to seek new ways to have a lasting impact on local, regional, and global communities,” said Provost Mark G. McNamee. “Whenever I talk with students about their various projects, I am moved by their passion, generosity, and sustained commitment. In parallel with the expansion of VT Engage activities, our Division of Student Affairs has responded to the opportunity to integrate service learning into the fabric of the student experience at Virginia Tech.
"We have collectively decided that the Division of Student Affairs is ideally positioned to assume the lead role in providing administrative and programmatic support for VT Engage in the years ahead," said McNamee. "We will continue to encourage all of our students to take an active role in service activities while they are here and throughout their lifetimes.”
For nearly 20 years, VT Engage and its predecessor, the Service Learning Center, have provided the university with powerful civic partnerships and have helped redefine the global land grant university. Through its network of collaborators and its core values of action, reflection, and knowledge, VT Engage has helped plant seeds of social and ethical responsibility through engaged learning.
Operating under the leadership and support of Outreach and International Affairs, VT Engage has helped support the university's efforts to be fully engaged with society, both locally and around the world.
“VT Engage has cultivated a culture of service at Virginia Tech and has elevated the spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in the university community and throughout the commonwealth,” said Susan E. Short, associate vice president for engagement “This move will afford our program greater access to students and will provide faculty enhanced relationships with community partners.”
“There will be many natural affinities that will lead to more robust programs for students,” VT Engage Director Gary Kirk said. “We look forward to bringing to the division the expertise and connections that our faculty and center have developed during the last two decades of promoting community engagement.”
“Colleagues in VT Engage are engaging in transformative work with students, impacting their learning in important ways,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo. “And, that is why I am thrilled they will be joining the Division of Student Affairs ― because this is the work that we are fully engaged in as well. Impacting the student experience via a focus on learning and healthy development is who we are.”
Civic engagement
VT Engage connects Virginia Tech students with service learning opportunities.
