On most weekday afternoons, as many as 200 Ball State students squeeze into shuttles and pile into vans for the short commute to another world. Their destinations range from a children's museum to a homeless mission, a state prison to an animal shelter, an urban juvenile detention center to a rural elementary school. The students arrive in waves to work two-hour shifts, or work as teams to cover weekend events and evening activities. They're all part of a campus program that connects university students with local communities through volunteer service.

"We're about to celebrate our 40th year, and we're seeing an increased commitment among students to serving others," says Daniel Stallings, director of Leadership and Service Learning and advisor to Student Voluntary Services (SVS) since 1999. Unlike the 1960s, when volunteerism centered on global and national efforts, according to Stallings, "Students today seem more focused on the needs in their immediate communities."

Over the years, the volunteer initiative at Ball State has evolved into a university-sponsored program that attracts grant support from several sources. In its long tenure Leadership and Service Learning has moved its offices periodically and expanded its scope gradually. What has remained constant is its goal to provide students with assorted ways to immerse themselves in good works. If success is measured in numbers, current statistics tell a positive story. Volunteer recruitment fairs typically draw 800 browsers. Service hours, collectively tallied at the end of the year, usually exceed 95,000. And participation in the Indiana Reading Corps effort is so enthusiastic that Ball State's after-school literacy program is now the largest in the state.

The Indiana Reading Corps project, funded by AmeriCorps and Indiana Campus Compact, pairs university student volunteer tutors with elementary school students who are struggling readers. The results of the one-on-one collaborations reveal that youngsters gain an average 2.5 reading levels per year. The benefits often go beyond improved literacy, however. "For some children, the interactions with their tutors are among the most stable relationships they have," explains Stallings. 

Tutors also discover a gratifying experience. One freshman participant, whose semester as a reading coach confirmed her decision to major in elementary education, says, "The program really strengthened my desire to have an impact on the lives of students on a daily basis."

Because volunteer work often supports and expands the learning that occurs in college classrooms, many professors are adding service components to their academic course curricula. Some instructors require students to complete volunteer assignments; others offer participation as a practical alternative to a research paper or test.

"For academic departments interested in incorporating service learning in their curricula, we have syllabus samples to show the innovative ways in which faculty in various disciplines have done this," says Stallings. "We coordinate the service, and we act as informal consultants. Sometimes my role is as simple as creating connections. Professors come to me with their ideas, but they may need assistance in identifying community agencies as partners."

At the request of a professor, Stallings, his staff, and student volunteer leaders visit the classroom, explain the concept of service learning to students, and dispel any notion that the program is little more than "fluff." Students are told that completing a volunteer assignment for credit differs from a more casual approach to community service. First, the assignment includes clearly stated learning objectives; second, the professor evaluates students not by how much they do, but by how much they learn. 

"Students have to demonstrate that they have mastered the course concepts," Stallings explains. "Additionally, there has to be a certain degree of reciprocity with the community. The agency needs to benefit from the student's service, but the student also must gain academically." He offers as an example a telecommunications class that worked with area nonprofit organizations to create public service announcements, promotional brochures, and Web sites. "The organizations had the needs and the students had the skills. It was a great match!" 

While Stallings concedes that service learning can enhance students' resumes and boost their marketability, he hopes the program affects its participants on a far deeper level. "What we're really trying to do is help students become good citizens," he says, noting that evaluations of the program indicate progress toward this goal. "Some students say their desire to serve their community has increased. Others say they want to continue to be involved. Overall, most say, ‘I think I made a difference.' "