Mission

At MIAD, we believe in the transformative power of art and design as a force for positive change. Our Service Learning Program is a cornerstone of our institution, dedicated to fostering a holistic educational experience that transcends traditional boundaries. Grounded in the value of service, we are committed to providing students with real-world engagement with our local community and cultivating a culture of social responsibility. Our purpose is to empower students to become socially aware, culturally sensitive, and skilled professionals who contribute meaningfully to the world both as engaged citizens and through their creative endeavors.

An Introduction

Imagining a better world is not a passive act; it is a “readying of the self” to engage courageously and intelligently – to act prophetically – on behalf of a more just order.  Such “readying” or “tending” involves practices that opens us up to the wounds and joys of strangers, forging habits that enable us to be suspicious of actions that deny the dignity of our fellows; and a willingness “to be still” as a pathway to address the white noise of our current living.”

  • Eddie S. Glaude Jr, We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For.

It is only after we begin to see a street as our street, a public park as our park, a school as our school, that we can become engaged citizens, dedicating our time and resources for worthwhile causes: joining the Neighborhood Watch, volunteering to beautify a playground, or running for school board.

When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.

  • Congressman John Lewis

 

MIAD has been providing a service-learning opportunity for students since 2001.

We know that learning occurs through active participation and thoughtfully organized service placements that include opportunities for thoughtful reflection. As a form of experiential education, Service-Learning at MIAD offers students the opportunity to explore and address community issues and needs. It is particularly well suited for art and design students — who already have skills with which to practice creative problem-solving. 

Here are some vital motivations and objectives for service-learning:

  • Service-learning reinforces the idea that learning is “transformational” rather than merely “transactional.”
  • New learning interacts with what students already know to transform and deepen their understanding of course materials and community work. When students apply what they know, they develop a more authentic connection with the material and a richer understanding of how academic principles can be put to practical purposes.
  • Students and the college develop a presence in a larger community than just that of school – both students and their school become a more visible and dynamic part of the communities that they inhabit. As such, students are exploring a much more vital model for citizenship and leadership –  an understanding that democracy is an ethical way of life that allows all people to determine what it means to have a good life, to find their own capacities.
  • Service Learning provides authentic preparation for assuming the responsibilities of citizenship; students develop civic literacy through this form of education.  

 

 

MIAD and Service Learning

As part of the humanities curriculum, service-learning is the “capstone” of a student’s study of the humanities and social sciences at MIAD. This curriculum, which begins in the 2nd semester of a student’s first-year experience is focused on addressing human and community issues and needs. It is also focused on social justice.

The number of service hours exceeds national averages – at the various conferences we have attended from the Collaboration to Campus Compact meetings, to Higher Learning Commission conferences, the average is somewhere between 15 and 25 hours. At 35, we exceed those averages, and organizations who have to train volunteers appreciate the commitment of time our students make.

Service completed in this course is a required institutional commitment, not an elective. As such, it enacts MIAD’s values of COMMUNITY and KINDNESS – putting students on track for being responsible and prepared citizens who will take creative roles as artists or designers in the cultural life of the city.  

Students may utilize their art and design talents at their placements which causes them to think more deeply about the role that their art and design skills could play in community change and development. While any request for students to provide art or design-related service is vetted to prevent exploitation of their talents, students often perform art or design-related activities on sites that provide beneficial service to the community partners being served.

 

Consequences of Service Learning

  • Increased visibility of our students and academic programming around the city. Students have often been connected with job offers, continued volunteer opportunities, and internships.
  • Professional Development. Due to Service-Learning experiences, students have enhanced prospects for graduate school and job applications – a number have had positive responses to graduate school applications and job applications; hiring and admissions committees cited the service-learning experience as a distinction.
  • Service-Learning benefits faculty as well. Faculty have cited feeling re-vitalized about the role of education; they are provided with the opportunity to craft and teach an upper-level humanities / social sciences elective. They also build their relationship with community partners. Further, they are tapped into a network of like-minded educators who see the possibilities for challenging our students to take a more active role in learning (and to challenge ourselves in that direction as well).
  • Institutional Change. After decades of Service Learning being integrated into the curriculum, we see that it has contributed to an institutional transformation that has featured a growing focus on civic engagement, issues of environmental literacy, sustainability, and social justice. There has been a consequent rise in student involvement on campus and off through campus activities and volunteerism. Service-Learning plays a pivotal role in anchoring different parts of the curriculum throughout divisions and in providing a fulcrum for student experiences.

Take some time to look through our website to get a better idea of the kinds of service opportunities that our students are engaged in.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to learn more about service learning at MIAD!

—Professor Leslie Fedorchuk, Director of Service Learning