News
(Portland, Ore.) April 21, 2010 – The Talloires Network and the MacJannet Foundation have announced the winners of the annual MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship. The MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship recognizes exceptional student civic engagement initiatives from Talloires Network member universities around the world. Sixty-six programs from 54 universities in 27 countries were nominated, and PortlandStateUniversity’s Student Leaders for Service program (SLS) was awarded third place.
“This award is an acknowledgement of how PortlandStateUniversity is intentionally building global citizenship in our students,” said President Wim Wiewel.
The SLS program is rooted in PSU's commitment to community outreach and engagement. SLS provides students with opportunities to significantly address issues in the surrounding communities while simultaneously preparing future civic leaders by providing opportunities for students to: explore theoretical and practical approaches to service, democratic citizenship and community building; engage in critically self-reflective placements with local organizations; and develop effective communication skills, as well as teamwork, leadership, and diversity awareness skills.
Through this program, 25 students make a commitment to serve 10 hours a week during the academic year at a local organization where they provide direct service to address community needs. Currently, SLS serves as an entry point for community-based organizations to partner with the University and provides resources and opportunities for students interested in community engagement. Partners and students create year-long student leadership work plans. Specific plans vary depending on student interests and community organizational needs, but all students act as liaisons between the community organization and PSU. The program is increasingly known among local community organizations as an innovative and effective way to connect students and the University’s resources to community needs and partner organizations in an effort to build their capacity. Since 1999, over 6,000 SLS volunteers have provided 82,000 hours of service to 88 projects in the Portland community. Over 125 faculty and staff have also participated in SLS programming. In recent years, SLS has diversified its activities to include global projects at the American University in Cairo and the University of Science in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Lawrence S. Bacow, president of Tufts University, serves as chair of the Talloires Network, an international association of institutions committed to strengthening the civic roles and social responsibilities of higher education. “The MacJannet Prize embodies the ambitions and founding goals of the Talloires Network and will serve to raise awareness of the contributions universities can make to active citizenship,” said Bacow.
The MacJannet Foundation, which co-sponsors the annual award, supports the prize as an extension of the philanthropic work of its founders, international educators Donald and Charlotte MacJannet. The foundation’s president, Tony Cook said, “The MacJannet Prize is an ideal way to spotlight the most worthy and productive student service-learning projects in countries around the world. We salute the winners for their unselfish volunteer efforts and their positive contributions to their societies and the global community.”
The geographic diversity of the winning programs demonstrates the global scope of the movement to incorporate civic engagement within higher education. In all regions of the world, higher education institutions are responding to pressing social issues, and students in particular are championing the idea of global citizenship. The MacJannet Prize recognizes the winning programs as models for universities worldwide and will continue to encourage community engagement within higher education.
For more information about the 2010 MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship visit http://www.tufts.edu/talloiresnetwork/?pid=312&c=79
More information about SLS can be found at http://www.pdx.edu/cae/sls.
Media inquiries should be directed to Kerri Griesbeck at 503-725-8794 or kgries22@pdx.edu.
About Portland State University
Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the nation’s most livable cities, the University’s innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects with community partners. The University’s 49-acre downtown campus exhibits Portland State’s commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while many of the 213 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. PSU’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” inspires the teaching and research of an accomplished faculty whose work and students span the globe. For more information go to www.pdx.edu.
