Student Engagement at the

University of Saint Francis

Prepared by Shelby Richardson, Tanner Maxey,

Ian Coffey, and Loren Law

Report Issued March 27, 2015

Prepared for Faculty and Administrators of

Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership
University of Saint Francis

Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

Abstract
This research report examines the methods that the University of Saint Francis uses to get their
students engaged through community outreach. It provides the faculty and administrators of the
Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Learning with the information necessary to
realize and understand effective ways of getting students involved through community outreach.
The research was divided into two parts: (1) secondary research, which was conducted for
student engagement through community outreach by using outside sources such as professional
journals and reliable internet articles, and (2) primary research for student engagement through
community outreach was conducted by interviewing administrators who deal with student life at
the University of Saint Francis as well as surveying students to get a better understanding of
outreach on campus. Presented in the report are several new ideas and recommendations that the
Keith Busse School of Business could implement into the way they go about student engagement
through community outreach.

Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

Table of Contents
Abstract

Introduction..

Student Engagement Defined

Current Involvement at USF.

Analysis

Significance of Student Engagement

Student Surveys

Conclusions..

Recommendation 1: Club Requirement

Recommendation 2: Mandatory Service Days..

Recommendation 3: Scholarships.

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Works Cited.. 11

Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

Introduction
Student engagement in the community can be very helpful to both the student and the
university. Student engagement is simply characterized as participation in educationally
effective practices, both inside and outside the classroom, which leads to a range of measurable
outcomes. (Quaye 2) Although many students may see this as something that will just take up
time that they could use to do homework or do other social activities, community outreach can
be a very positive action. Universities look more toward the future, though. They look at the
positive outcomes that may come out of student engagement through community outreach, such
as skills that may be developed in the time that the student is doing the service and even
relationships that can be built that may provide the student with a future job opportunity.
The University of Saint Francis offers many different ways to get students engaged in the
community. According to Katrina Boedeker, director of the Office for Service and Social Action
at USF, students can search and register for service opportunities at over 50 nonprofit agencies in
Fort Wayne. These agencies include Turnstone and the Community Harvest Food Bank.
Boedeker also mentioned that the most popular organization among students at USF is the Feed
the Fort food drive for Community Harvest. Teachers and professors throughout the university
encourage students to become involved in the community through student engagement by
offering extra credit as an incentive.

Analysis of Student Engagement through Community Outreach

Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

Significance of Student Engagement
Research shows that student engagement proves important for student development in at
least five distinct ways. Research indicates that high-quality curricular and co-curricular civic
engagement is positively correlated with student success in K-12 schools, community colleges,
and public and private four-year colleges and universities (Cress 6). Student engagement can
reflect success in many different ways, including grades and GPA, social skills, moral
development, and self-confidence (Quaye 3). It can also help to build relationships with people
and businesses throughout the community, which can strengthen community support of the
university and maybe even help to land the student a job. . Community outreach, also known as
civic engagement, can be defined as a service within a community whose purpose is to educate
or enhance students understanding of civic life (Cress 5). Close relationships between
businesses and universities that can be built through community outreach by students are very
helpful for both of the parties in gaining internships for students and jobs for graduating students.
Student Surveys
Our group conducted a survey that questioned 10 men and 10 women that currently
attend the University of Saint Francis. We asked questions that would allow us to see if the
university does a good job at making students aware of student engagement opportunities, if
students are currently involved with community outreach programs, and if students feel
encouraged to engage in community outreach. To see the results of this survey please, refer to
Figure 1, below. The first question was, Do you believe that USF encourages students to be
engaged in the community through service and on campus activities? This would show us if
there is enough encouragement towards students to become actively involved, not only on
campus, but in the community as well. A total of 80% of the students who were interviewed
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Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

answered yes to this question. The results of this question showed that students feel highly
encouraged to engage both on and off campus and that USF faculty is doing a great job at
notifying students of the importance of student engagement.
The second question asked the students, Do you believe that faculty and staff at USF
make students aware of the numerous opportunities of service and student engagement both on
campus and throughout the community? This question was designed to clarify if students feel as
if they have access to on-campus organizations and community engagement projects. The results
of the survey also showed that students feel as if they have good notification of what is available
at their request; however, there is some room for improvement, as 65% of the students who were
surveyed answered yes to this question. USF should focus on helping students gain access to
the numerous clubs and service opportunities available.
The third and final question was, Are you currently involved with any community
outreach projects or campus organizations? This question was the main factor in determining
whether or not USF is doing a great enough job at getting students engaged. Surprisingly, the
results were not as expected. Only 10% of the students replied that they are currently involved in
student engagement, either through campus organizations or community outreach. This is an
indication that, even though many students feel encouraged to becoming engaged, they do not
actually participate.
USF is not alone in this, though. According to Parsons, Some educationists consider
engaging disengaged pupils to be one of the biggest challenges facing educators, as over 66% of
students are considered to be disengaged (6). Students do not realize the benefits that they are
missing out on by not becoming involved with some sort of community outreach program. Dr.

Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

Sean Ambrose, professor and Chair of the Department of Business Administration at the
University of Saint Francis, mentioned that USF needs to do a better job of selling the Why.
In this statement, Ambrose means that the University needs to stress the significance of student
engagement through community outreach and provide information that explains how community
outreach can benefit the student and his/her career. The campus should implement some sort of
change in order to increase these percentages, it will not only make the campus look good, but it
will also help add to each students resume.

Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

Figure 1. Survey by students at the University of Saint Francis to gain their input on
student engagement through community outreach.

Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

Student Thoughts on Student Engagement

Percentage of Total Responses

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Encouraged
Involved Now
Good Notification

Answer and Gender of Students

C
onclusion
One of the things that the university needs to do to get the students more involved is to
motivate them and give them an incentive to actually do community service. One way that USF
could improve student engagement through community outreach is to require students to be a
part of at least one club. Another way that USF can increase participation in the community
among students is to cancel classes two days each semester and make it a requirement that the
students participate in community service. The university could also get students more involved
by providing scholarships for students who complete a certain number of service hours each
semester.
Recommendation 1: Club Requirement

Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

Students may not realize that becoming involved with campus clubs is another great way
to be involved with student engagement. Not only are the clubs an area for students to have
social interaction with fellow classmates, but campus clubs also incorporate many community
engagement activities. USF should both encourage and require students to be part of at least one
campus club/organization that corresponds with their major.
The work students undertake also needs to be relevant, meaningful, and authentic in
other words, it needs to be worthy of their time and attention. Students, themselves, clearly want
their work to be intellectually engaging and relevant to their lives (Parsons 12). In other words,
Parsons is saying that students should be involved with clubs or activities that interest them or
are relevant to their intended major. This allows more student interaction and further skill
development outside of their university curriculum. Through these clubs, students will be
engaged in both the university and the community around them.
Recommendation 2: Mandatory Service Days
Students are often motivated to participate in events if there is an incentive to do it other
than just to improve their resume. In order to increase student engagement through community
outreach, USF should take two days out of each semester to dedicate specifically to community
outreach.
Service learning is defined as a course-based, credit-bearing
education experience in which students (a) participate in an
organized service activity that meets identified community needs
and (b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain
further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of

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Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility
(Bringle 274).
If the university implements this, each student will be required to dedicate their time to help
nonprofit organizations, such as Community Harvest food bank. There will be required
paperwork to be filled out in order to confirm that the students did become involved through
community outreach. The students will also have to write a brief paper reflecting on what they
learned during their service. These two days of service will also serve as a separate grade from
the university for each student outside of his or her individual classwork. The grade will be worth
15% of their semester grade point average. This percentage is relatively high, but it serves as
motivation for students to get involved and participate. Students failing to participate on the
required days could receive a zero for the grade and that could greatly affect their overall grade
point average. If USF does implement these service days and the required personal reflection,
students may enjoy their experience and become more encouraged to participate in community
outreach outside of the two days each semester that are required of them.

Recommendation 3: Scholarships
Another effective way to increase student engagement at USF is through scholarships. Dr.
Ambrose also mentioned that some professors are rewarding students with extra credit for their
participation in community outreach. However, this alone is not a strong enough incentive for students.
USF could offer multiple scholarships as a reward for their service in the community and on campus. If
students are rewarded with scholarship money to help pay for their college expenses, then that may
greatly increase their desire to become engaged through community outreach and service work. That may
also lead to greater chances of receiving other scholarships outside of USF because according to

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Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

schoalrships.com, Your involvement in community service can distinguish you from other applicants.
Scholarship providers often look for this quality because they are looking to assist in funding the
education of someone who gives back to their community (1). If USF implements this recommendation
of providing special scholarships for students involved through community outreach, then they are also
increasing the likelihood of students receiving other scholarships outside of the university scholarships.

Works Cited
Ambrose, Sean. Ph.D. E-mail Interview. 23 Mar. 2015.
Boedeker, Katrina. E-mail Interview. 23 Mar. 2015.
Bringle, Robert G., and Julie A. Hatcher. "Institutionalization of Service Learning in Higher
Education." The Journal of Higher Education 71.3 (2000): 274. Ohio State University Press.
Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
Cress, Christine, Cathy Burack, Dwight Giles, Jr., Julie Elkins, and Margaret Carnes Stevens.
"Civic Engagements Role in Improving Success in College." A Promising Connection:
Increasing College Access and Success through Civic Engagement. Boston: Campus Compact,
2010. 6. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Maxey, Tanner. Student Engagement at USF. Survey. 20 Mar. 2015
Parsons, Jim, and Leah Taylor. "Improving Student Engagement." Current Issues in
Education 14.1 (2010): 6, 12-13. Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
Quaye, Stephen J. and Shaun R. Harper. Student Engagement in Higher Education: Theoretical
Perspectives and Practical Approaches for Diverse Populations. 2nd ed. New York City:
Routledge, 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

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Student Engagement at the University of Saint Francis - 2015

"Scholarship F.A.Q." Scholarships.com. Scholarships, LCC, 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
<https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarshipinformation/scholarship-f-a-q/>.

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