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New York Campus Compact Weekly
In This Issue:
1- Spotlight on Members
1- Spotlight on VISTA
3- EAP Recipients
Spotlight on VISTA-
Hobart and William
Smith Colleges
During my first VISTA year at Hobart and
William Smith Colleges I attended a local,
United Way sponsored community forum
in which a representative from the
Rochester Ad Council provided information
regarding various grant programs which
they offered to assist other non-profits to
revise or further promote their mission,
vision, or outreach efforts. While Geneva
Reads is not formally a non-profit the
strategic planning process seemed to be
something that was pertinent to where
Geneva’s literacy initiative was in its
development. Though it had been a
productive 4 years, the active membership
noted that its greatest strength (grass
roots, inclusive), was impinging progress
(lacked structure for decision making,
lacked a tax exempt status which would
invite foundational support). The Ad
Council’s strategic planning grant program
allowed us to bring in a consultant,
Cenette Berdine, with the expertise to help
us through this. The total cost of the
process was $3,500, but a grant from the
Rochester Ad Council supplemented 75
percent of that so Geneva Reads had to
VISTA continued on page 2
December 8, 2011
. 2011 Annual Survey Deadline Has
Been Extended to December 16th
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The Annual Survey deadline has been extended to December 16 .
With 80 members, NYCC represents an important cross-section of
institutions active in campus/community partnerships and civic
engagement in its many forms. We have a strong story to tell. Our
goal is to have someone from every member campus fill out a survey.
In order to achieve this goal, NYCC is offering a free book to
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everyone who completes the survey by December 9 . (limit one
per campus) Here is your chance to help us measure civic
engagement in education while adding to your campus/office
library.
Books to choose from: (we also have a limited supply of When
Community Enters the Equation and What’s Your Story(dvd) that we
will include until they are gone)
Journal of Public Scholarship in Higher Education (New)
Charting the Course for Service-Learning (New)
Creating a New Kind of University
Becoming An Engaged Campus
Michigan Journal, Vol. 18, Fall 2011 (New)
Remember, New York State will only receive state statistics from this
survey if 50% of our membership completes it. Survey results will be
emailed to campuses in late Spring. These results will be
individualized for the campuses that complete the survey. You can
view last year’s Executive Summary here or New York State’s results
here
Your institution’s participation in this national survey is very important.
Conducted each year since 1986, the survey is the most
comprehensive and widely distributed review of service, service-
learning, and civic engagement in higher education. Through this
instrument, we are able to calculate student and faculty involvement in
service and service-learning, measure campus infrastructure for
community engagement, understand faculty roles and rewards,
determine alumni engagement, and receive valuable feedback about
Survey continued on page 2
We Have a Strong Story to Tell
 Survey continued from page 1 2
Campus Compact member services.

Results allow campuses to compare their progress with state and national trends and help all of us better articulate
our case to elected officials, funders, and the media

1. As a first step, we encourage primary institutional contacts to download this 2011 Annual Membership Survey
PDF document and use it to collect information from colleagues on campus, and then enter the institution’s
responses to the online survey.

2. Once you have gathered and determined your responses, you may then obtain and complete the 2011 Annual
Membership Survey online by following this link.
Thank you to the following institutions for already
completing the survey:

Canisius College
Daemen College
Hartwick College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Thank you for helping us Ithaca College
advance civic engagement Mercy College
in higher education! Niagara University
Onondaga Community College
Sarah Lawrence College
SUNY Oneonta
SUNY Delhi
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Geneseo
SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry

VISTA continued from page 1

pay $875. We chose to use our limited recourses to go through this process because it was something that we saw as
enabling us to build Geneva Reads into a more sustainable effort. The strategic planning process started in April of
2011 and concluded in October 2011.

I was fortunate to return to my VISTA position for a second year which, in addition to continuing capacity building
efforts for the other components of my work plan, provided me with the opportunity to continue supporting the strategic
planning efforts of Geneva Reads. This process was challenging, bringing together 11 members of Geneva Reads
contributing approximately 22 hours each to the process. Cenette Berdine, who was contracted with us from the
Rochester Ad Council to lead us through the process and she was invaluable. Her expertise helped guide us in
creating our strategic plan. The results from that process were presented to the general membership in the November
meeting and met with great enthusiasm. Committees were formed to pursue the most time sensitive pieces of the plan:
hiring an Executive Director, writing a charter, and electing a board of directors. It is through this process that Geneva
Reads also decided to incorporate and become a formal 501c(3). All of the previously mentioned components will
ensure the sustainability of the initiative and the advancement of the rest of the strategic plan which will allow Geneva
Reads to continue to thrive in its literacy outreach efforts to all Genevans. This process would not have happened
without the presence of a NYCC AmeriCorps VISTA member to support the process and give the community partners
the tools needed to move forward to accomplish their mission: to inspire a culture of life-long reading by providing
books and creating shared experiences through dynamic community collaboration

For additional information, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW3eNwZVvVo.

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New York Campus Compact Announces

AmeriCorps Education Award Program
Grant Recipients
Through a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service and the New York State Commission on
National and Community Service, NYCC has received additional AmeriCorps Education Award Program (EAP)
funding for the 2011-2012 program year. EAP fosters civic engagement among higher education students, promotes
the National Service movement, and encourages positive relationships between campuses and communities. The
program meets critical community needs by engaging college students in service as part-time AmeriCorps members,
and fostering within them an ethic of civic responsibility.

Upon successful completion of 300 hours of service in a calendar year, students are eligible to receive a $1,175
Education Award to be applied toward outstanding federal student loans or the cost of attendance at a college or
university. With rising tuition costs the education award earned upon successful completion of the program helps
make service a viable opportunity for students with financial need.

The following campuses have been awarded Education Award Program positions for 2011-2012:

o Binghamton University
o Buffalo State College
o Cayuga Community College
o Corning Community College
o Hobart & William Smith Colleges
o Purchase College
o St. Lawrence University
o SUNY College at Old Westbury
o Syracuse University
o University of Rochester

* Notice- Application deadline has been extended. *

Campuses who are interested in implementing the NYCC EAP on their campus should contact:

Brittany Campese, Program Coordinator

Email: bcampese@cornell.edu
Phone: 607.254.6239
Fax: 607.254.6397

Educating Citizens, Building Communities

New York Campus Compact
95 Brown Road, Box 1006
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-255-2366
www.nycampuscompact.org