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ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2016-2017
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Opportunities for service-learning include the following:
Community Partnerships
are student-initiated and facilitated activities available
throughout the school year. Students develop ongoing relationships with area agencies as
they engage in service work. Recent partnerships have included First Light Women’s
Shelter, Urban Kids, Oak Knoll Health and Rehabilitation Center, NorthStar Youth
Ministries, Blueprints College Access Program, Red Mountain Park, Cahaba Valley
Health Care, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, Community Food Bank of Central Alabama,
and Bush Hills Academy.
Alternative Spring Break
offers an opportunity for students to develop their
understanding of themselves and of another culture or place while engaged in service.
Participants prepare as a team prior to travel. During recent spring breaks, teams have
worked in Puerto Rico; San Francisco; Boston; Appalachia; the Mississippi Gulf Coast;
Washington, DC; as well as in Birmingham.
Service-Learning Exploration Term Projects
provide students and faculty with intensive,
course-based service-learning in local, national and international communities. Students
are selected through an application process and prepare by engaging in team-building
activities, discussing the history, theory, and practice of service-learning, and researching
issues relevant to the service site. Evaluation is based on participation in the orientation
sessions, on-site performance, and a reflective essay.
Service-Learning Integrated Courses
are regular term course offerings in various
disciplines enhanced by integrating service-learning into the course, thus enriching
exploration of the topic. Contact the Bunting Center staff for details about these courses.
Bonner Leader Program
Since 1990, the Bonner Foundation has offered one of the largest, oldest, and most
successful models for service-based scholarships. The Bonner Leader Program at
Birmingham-Southern College utilizes institutional aid and the federal work-study
program to provide students with an opportunity to engage in community-based work
throughout their tenure at the College. Each fall, a cohort of Bonner Leaders is selected
from the incoming class through a competitive application process. Bonner Leaders
receive a scholarship and a federal work-study position that requires engagement in eight
to ten hours of community service per week. Service hours include regularly scheduled
Bonner meetings and activities, including in-service workshops, reflective discussion,
and training sessions that equip students to assume increasing levels of responsibility and
leadership within service activities. As a student progresses, the focus of his or her
community work narrows, providing an opportunity to work on specific projects
identified by a particular community partner. Bonner Leaders also complete the
Distinction in Leadership Studies Program. Jointly sponsored by the Bunting Center for
Engaged Study and Community Action and the Hess Center for Leadership and Service,
the Bonner Leader program follows the Bonner Developmental Model, which has been
used successfully at many colleges and universities for twenty-five years.