In 1996, Dr. Dale Brougher, then Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and
Associate Professor of Religion, spearheaded a Community Service
Committee within the structure of the College of Liberal Arts to explore
the possibilities of service and engagement on The University of
Findlay campus. Dr. Brougher invited Maile Doyle, then director of the
United Way of Findlay/Hancock County’s Volunteer Center, to help shape a
vision of service for the campus community. Through much deliberation,
the Community Service Committee concluded that the group would
structurally function to model a non-profit board in order to encourage
maximum community engagement with the service initiative. The group then
elected Ms. Doyle and Dr. Brougher as the first co-chairs of the newly
formed Campus Compact Board which was charged with providing leadership,
vision, support, advice, and a strategic plan to the service program in
order to integrate a philosophy of service into the life of the campus
community.
In 1998, UF joined the
Ohio Campus Compact and
National Campus Compact
and subsequently The University of Findlay Campus Compact Center was
created. The first part-time director of the center was Molly Tyson, a
graduate of The University of Findlay and then an intern on campus.
During her tenure from 1999-2000, she greatly forwarded the goals and
objectives of the Campus Compact Strategic Plan.
In the spring of 2000, Dr. Jeanette Drake’s Public Relations Practices
and Writing courses worked to develop an identity for the Campus Compact
Center. Through these service learning courses, Campus Compact created
its familiar logo incorporating the Griffith Memorial Arch as a gateway
to the community and the slogan “Strengthening Ourselves Through
Service” which continues to describe the program’s mission.
Hiring Dr. Wayne Sneath as the first full-time director of Campus
Compact in November of 2000 showed a significant commitment by the
university to the theory and practice of service learning, community
service, and civic engagement. In 2001, Dr. Sneath changed the title of
the office to the Campus Compact Center for Service and Learning to
reflect the evolving structure of the service initiative.
Crystal (Jones) Weitz was hired as the Campus Compact Coordinator in the
Fall of 2006 and was promoted to the Campus Compact Director in the Fall of 2012.
The University of Findlay's Campus Compact Center has hosted several
AmeriCorps*VISTAs who
have worked tirelessly to advance the civic engagement initiatives
(especially those related to poverty). These AmeriCorps*VISTAs were:
Katherine Hart, Jennifer Taylor, Crystal Jones, Katie McGee, Heather
Eichner, Rachel Powell, Gwen Stembridge, and Bethany Mulhern. Some of the service initiatives that
they helped to implement have included: Alternative Spring Break trips,
UF Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter, Orientation Service Project,
Raise Your Voice Campaign, Martin Luther King A Day On Service Project, Walking School
Bus, Bring a Senior Friend to Thanksgiving Dinner (co-sponsored by
Sodexo Dining Services), Valentine's Day Party and Food Drive
(co-sponsored by the Student Activities/Commuter Student Services
Office), Sweet Service Saturdays, the Relay for Life Inspiration
Project, mobile food pantries, September 11th Day of Remembrance and
Service, and the re-activation of Circle K. The AmeriCorps grant ended in Spring 2012. The Campus Compact Center
and The University of Findlay thank these AmeriCorps*VISTAs for their
years of service!
In the Fall of 2012, Campus Compact moved to the division of Student Affairs. At the present time, Crystal Weitz, the graduate
assistant, the student worker, and the Campus Compact Board work to
support the objectives of the Campus Compact Center with the belief that
learning through service will benefit the individual as well as the
community in lasting ways.