Spartan Volunteer Service Award
Announcing the Spartan Volunteer Service Award: A presidential recognition administered by the Center for Community Engaged Learning.
Your commitment to community engagement means the world to us. It is what makes being a Spartan so special. The Spartan Volunteer Service Award will be given to any MSU student who serves a minimum of 100 hours of verified community engagement between November 15, 2022 and November 15, 2023.
How to be Eligible:
- Download the MSU Civic Life App on your smartphone or tablet, or visit msuciviclife-prod.azurewebsites.net to log your hours online.
- Update your profile and input your qualifying hours by December 8, 2023.
- All students who update their profiles within the app with 100 or more hours will be eligible for the award!
If you have any questions about the app or the award, please contact K.C. Keyton at keytonkr@msu.edu or (517) 355-3325.
What Counts Toward the Award
There are many different forms of community engagement, not just volunteering, that count toward the 100 hours necessary to be eligible for the SVSA. Your hours can be from during the semester, over the summer, at home, abroad, or on campus at MSU! The different types of community engagement are represented as different categories in the MSU Civic Life App and defined below with examples.
Advocacy – Communicating support of an idea or cause and collecting evidence to support one’s position.
Examples:
- Share a video about a cause on social media
- Participate in a non-violent rally or march in support of a cause
- Research an issue that is important to you and share what you learn
Community Conversations – Exchanging and weighing different ideas, perspectives, and approaches in a civil way.
Examples:
- Join MSU Dialogues
- Organize a discussion circle with friends
- Have a civil conversation with someone who has different opinions than you
Community and Economic Development – Acting locally to provide economic opportunities and improve social conditions in a sustainable way.
Examples:
- Support local small businesses
- Work with a neighborhood garden
- Take a class at a community center
Democratic Engagement- Using the formal structures of the political system to attempt to change society.
Examples:
- Attend a political rally or speech: MSUVote has many events that you can participate in!
- Sign a petition
- Contact a national, state, or local government official about an issue
Philanthropy- Offering charitable aid or donations to social change focused, community-based organizations to combat social problems.
Examples:
- Hold a fundraiser for a nonprofit organization
- Give to an organization that matches your values
- Participate in a food drive
Volunteering- Short or long-term donation of time and talent to directly support the activities of a community-based organization.
Examples:
- Participate in a day of service
- Find a service-based registered student organization
- Volunteer with an organization in your community
Resources:
MSU Civic Life App Updates
As of Summer 2022: The number of hours displayed on your profile in the app will only display hours eligible for this year's Spartan Volunteer Service Award. You will still be able to see acts from before on your profile in the app.
Past Awards
In recognition of its 40th year anniversary, the Center for Community Engaged Learning, in partnership with the Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement and the Vice President for Student Affairs and Services, and with endorsement from the Provost, inaugurated the MSU Curricular Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Awards from 2008-2017. Conferred annually, the awards recognized individuals who demonstrated innovative and/or sustained effort in the area of academic, curricular, or co-curricular service-learning/civic engagement that is specifically linked with the mission and efforts of their colleges. Recipients were selected from faculty and staff by the deans of each college.
