IACBE-ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND ASSEMBLEY MEETING
Tools that We Can Offer to Our Students and Assist Them to Become Better Citizens
Baltimore, MD
April 16, 2015
Hossein Noorian
Department of Business Management
College of Arts and Sciences
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
noorianh@wit.edu
(617) 989-4376
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The President’s Higher Education
Community Service Honor Roll
Wentworth Institute of Technology (Wentworth) is located in Boston, MA.
Our vision statement emphasizes our commitment to academic excellence, community
service through urban engagement, service learning, college access and economic
growth by educating highly skilled professionals.
Wentworth has maintained both of its elective classifications from the Carnegie
Foundation:
Community engagement
Curricular engagement and outreach and partnerships since 2008
Center for Community and Learning Partnerships, that consists of three full time staff
members including an AmeriCorps*VISTA in addition to a budget exceeding $370,000
supporting the Center, has committed to making a difference in the city of Boston,
specifically the local communities.
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Wentworth maintains a strong relationship with the public officials, such as the
connections with Boston City Council and our Massachusetts State Representative.
The Community Work-Study (CWS) Program at Wentworth pairs students with local
non-profit organizations to gain real-world experience. Three unique options for
financial assistance:
Working directly with a community-based organization
Leading a campus based service program
Working with faculty in a service-learning environment.
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Center for Community and Learning
Partnerships (CLP@WIT)
Mission: Facilitate and strengthen partnerships that yield transformative educational
experiences.
Vision: To become a national model for Community-Based experimental learning, bringing
together faculty, students, and the local community to address problems in society.
Philosophy
Address Neighborhood Concerns
Grassroots Initiative
Focusing on assets and relationships
Producing reciprocal and transformative partnerships
Think Tank
Extraordinary Community Outcomes
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Since 2005, the Center has been used for Community and Learning Partnerships to engage
in projects that build capacity and offer professional services to community organizations
throughout the neighborhoods of Boston.
In 2012, a new mission and direction was developed that focuses on empowering, inspiring
and innovating through experimental learning.
A new model focuses on Co+Build and how the presence of a university can invest in,
rather than undermine, neighborhood integrity.
The community building project
A community-focused design and construction program that brings Wentworth students
Community members together to complete hands on neighborhood projects
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The Center for Community and Learning Partnerships
at Wentworth
Awards and Grants:
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Elective Community
Engagement Classification
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
$150,000.00 Grant from Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation (2015).
$50,000.00 Per Year for the Next Three Years To Fund “Boston Pipeline”.
$25,000.00 Grant from the Ford Foundation (2014).
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CLP@WIT
Opportunities
Alternative Spring Break
Students represent Wentworth in another Community
Certificate in Service Learning
Students acknowledged for their involvement in the Community
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
Students learn how to file their own taxes and help others
Co+Build: Students connect with fellow students who share an interest in giving back to the
community.
Community Work Study: Students gain valuable, real-world experience to build their resumes.
Facilitated Study Groups: Students help other students in their academic coursework.
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Alternative Spring Break (ASB) at CLP
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Certificate for Community Learning
The Certificate for Community Learning is a unique recognition
of Academic, Professional, and Civic accomplishment.
Students who enroll and successfully complete the program earn
a distinction that is prestigious not only to Wentworth, but across
the country.
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Certificate for Community Learning Continued
Curricular
Service Learning
Complete Service Learning component in at least 4 courses
Complete Introduction to Community Learning Course
Senior Capstone
Co-Curricular
Extra-curricular involvement/Volunteer activities (unpaid)
Community based work (paid)
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Procedures
Enroll in the Certificate for Community Learning Program
Participate in Certificate Advising each semester
Develop & Submit Community Learning Portfolio (semester prior to graduation) to
Wentworth
Utilize Certificate networking opportunities and preferred status for resources such as
student employment and education awards
If a participant decides to leave the Certificate Program; then student should take a brief
exit interview.
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Completing the Certificate in Service Learning
Students will give a 15-20 minute presentation in their graduation year to the Service Learning
Committee, who is responsible for granting the Certificate in Community Learning.
The presentation should include a visual component as well as a smaller version of the students
presentation in a portfolio for Committee Members to see.
Suggested Content for the Portfolio
Table of Contents
Reflective Statement
Community Service Resume
Project Profiles
Support letters from Faculty and partners of the organizations the student helped in the
community
Any proof or visuals from the community work
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Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
History of VITA at Wentworth
Tax assistance program was formed in 2002
Taxes were initially filed manually until 2004
Partnership between Wentworth and ABCD* Parker Hill/Fenway
*ABCD-Action for Boston Community Development
**The unanticipated growth seen in VITA’s first few years made the program unsustainable in the Center’s space.
Transition from paper to electronic filing
Over 8,000 people from the community were served
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How does it work?
Student volunteers are recruited by the Faculty Advisor, Student Coordinator, and
previous volunteers
Students participate in an intensive three day tax training program
Students must pass a tax exam to be able to file taxes
Students would be certified by the IRS
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How does it work continue
The Center for Community and Learning Partnerships (CLP) creates a schedule for
appointments
Initial interview with taxpayers
Taxpayer is assigned to a student volunteer
Student Coordinator files all tax forms with the IRS
Maintain confidentially, ethics, and morals on all compiled information by the VITA
participants and student volunteers
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VITA in Numbers
Years in operation: 12
Number of volunteers trained: 210+
Number of federal/state tax forms filed: 2,000+
Amount of tax refund: $1,200,000.00+
Students tax training hours: 2,100
Students tax preparing hours: 8,000
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Why should students get involved?
Sense of volunteerism
Sense of self pride
Application of classroom knowledge
Learned skills (i.e. teamwork, networking, time management, etc.)
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Management Alumni’s Involvement
Giving back to the community
Mentoring of current students
Sense of leadership
Stay involved with Wentworth
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Ramp@clp
Six week summer bridge program
To Boston residences who will be attending Wentworth as first year students
Mentoring - One on one.
Academic Instruction
Project – Based learning
Individualized Support
By solving real-world problems with external collaborators
From the Center for Community and Learning Partnerships
Learning Communities
Throughout their time at Wentworth
Learn from External Partners
Design and build prototypes
Workshops with Wentworth student, faculty, deans, staff, and professionals from various disciplines.
Offers a $1,500 stipend to each participating student
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As the largest student run organization in Boston, the Center has 18-year partnership
with the Mission Hill After School Program (MHASP) run through the Phillips Brooks
House Association.
Wentworth students mentor between seventy-five to one hundred 5-13 year-old
residents of the local housing developments.
Wentworth has two workforce development programs geared towards Boston Public
Schools (BPS) students
Project STRIVE (a school-to-work transition program for BPS students with a
variety of specials needs, Supported Training to Reach Independence through
Vocational Experiences)
Vocational School-to-Career program with Madison Park Technical Vocational
High School.
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BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS PIPELINE
The Boston Public Schools (BPS) Pipeline is a series of aligned programming intended to improve the attendance,
retention, and graduation rates of Boston students in higher education.
To address these needs, the CLP develops and executes this programming, leveraging Wentworth resources to
provide effective programming to benefit Boston students.
In the BPS Pipeline, students gain access to college coursework through “Dual Enrollment” and develop a founding
for success at Wentworth through RAMP, a pre-college summer bridge program.
Dual Enrollment
By filling empty seats in existing classrooms, this program gives Boston students the opportunity to take collegelevel courses at Wentworth free of charge. Thus far “Dual Enrollment” has allowed students to explore coursework in
Mathematics and English, with other opportunities to be made available in the future.
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Special thanks to Director Erik Miller and Ms. Courtney Wright, the
Community Engagement Coordinator at the Center for Community
and Learning Partnerships at Wentworth Institute of Technology for
their support and providing me with the information and data for this
report.
THANK YOU
Any questions?
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