In 2014, the Student Service and Leadership Collaborative (The Collaborative) launched as a new program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) to provide UNO students with opportunities to engage the university with the greater Omaha metropolitan community though action projects that lead to positive social change.
Each fall, 30 student employees are hired to serve as interns with metropolitan nonprofit agencies representing one of the following six issue areas: Educational Support, Economic Sufficiency, Environmental Stewardship, Health and Wellness, International Service and Social Justice. Student employees are tasked with identifying the needs of their nonprofit partner and subsequently addressing those needs through the completion of an empathically designed capstone project. 3,155 hours were contributed to non-profit partners in the Omaha Metro Area by Collaborative students during the 2016-17 academic year.
The Collaborative is grounded in our understanding of workforce development and civic engagement. To assess the learning that takes place as a result of students’ experiences within the Collaborative, ePortfolios are utilized as our main vehicle for assessment. It allows for a significant review of learning over time and allows for a connection to self-authorship and reflective learning, among other theories. The university is focused on preparing our students to be engaged citizens and community leaders in our increasingly diverse society. We believe that Omaha is our campus and work to establish sustainable and reciprocal community partnerships.
