Service to One’s Community: A Strong Iowan Tradition
A Message from Margaret S. Crocco, Professor and Dean
Earlier this year, the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service and the Corporation for National and Community Service lauded the state as a “national leader in service and volunteerism.” Indeed, in 2009 Iowa was second in the country (after Utah) in the number of individuals (40 percent) over age 25 who had volunteered during the past year.
At the University of Iowa College of Education students and graduates embrace the importance of service to their communities as well. Teacher education students are required to complete 10 hours of volunteer service before applying to our programs. Across all four College departments, students involve themselves in numerous forms of community service and civic engagement, whether it be in counseling the young and the old, tutoring school children, or offering support to those in need.
College of Education Programs Earn Renewed Accreditation
The University of Iowa College of Education’s history of excellence continues. On July 27, Its practitioner preparation programs met or exceeded all standards and were reaccredited by the Iowa State Department of Education for the maximum period of seven years.
The state reviewed programs that prepare teachers, principals, superintendents, school librarians, guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists, and speech pathologists/audiologists.
At the same time, the Council on Rehabilitation Education and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs also said the College met or exceeded all standards for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, and Counselor Education and Supervision programs for eight years.
"You have high-quality faculty preparing high-quality practitioners, which perpetuates the Hawkeye brand of excellence that trickles down to the K-12 setting," state reviewers commented. "Your prestige is well deserved."
Two centuries ago, Alexis de Tocqueville believed this type of service to be a uniquely American cultural trait—that is, the penchant for joining and forming what he called “voluntary associations” in support of the common good.
Educational research has shown that participation in service learning has a long-term positive effect on high school and college students’ participation in civic life as adults, not to mention the real contributions they make to their communities.
Clearly, these formative experiences contribute to our graduates’ commitment to pursuing lives in service beyond completion of their degree programs.
The profiles presented here represent only a small sample of all that our faculty, students, and alumni are doing along these lines. Please let me know of other instances of such inspirational service. I would love to hear from you. Finally, I ask that you also consider a gift in support of the College of Education so that we can continue to develop students in the long Hawkeye tradition of reaching out to those in need of a helping hand and encouraging others to do the same.
Sincerely,
Margaret S. Crocco
Professor and Dean