Read on for some of the more common questions and answers about IU Corps.
Answers to frequently asked questions
IU Corps is a new umbrella network connecting the many types of service- and volunteer-focused courses, experiences, internships, and research opportunities available to students at Indiana University. United under IU Corps, these opportunities will be more visible to students and partners, and will provide a clearer picture of where IU is making an impact at home and abroad.
IU students who are already involved in community volunteerism or service, locally, nationally, or globally, are working toward meeting the IU Corps mission of becoming engaged, productive, and responsible members of society. IU staff and faculty who are running service-focused programs, teaching service-learning courses, or mentoring community-engagement experiences for students are already supporting the IU Corps mission. The same is true for community agencies and partners that are working with IU students in a volunteer or service capacity.
Knowing how to connect with the appropriate IU unit can be challenging for nonprofits and agencies, and knowing how to find the right service opportunity can be difficult for students. IU Corps provides a single point of entry and helps facilitate connections through its network.
Eventually, IU Corps will provide an online clearinghouse of opportunities. IU Corps will work with campus partners to find a way to include service experiences on a co-curricular transcript or portfolio – including those that fall outside of the realm of service-learning classes. This will help students share their experiences with potential employers and graduate schools.
No. If you’re a student, faculty or staff member, or community partner already taking part in service- or volunteer-related activities through IU classes, programs, internships, or research opportunities, you’re fulling the goals of IU Corps. No membership is needed.
IU Corps provides students with:
- opportunities for every interested IU Bloomington student to engage in service work at some level, whether it’s an annual volunteer project on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, an alternative spring break experience, or years of an intense, service-focused internship.
- the chance to develop on-the-ground, hands-on skills and apply learning from the classroom to real-world challenges and opportunities.
- the potential to develop a sense of civic responsibility and a desire to make a difference in the world.
IU Corps provides on- and off-campus partners with:
- an easy first point of connection for those seeking to work with an IU class or connect with IU student volunteers or expand existing relationships within the university.
- the opportunity to work with the Center for Rural Engagement. IU Corps activities that happen in our local and neighboring communities fall under the Center for Rural Engagement (CRE) umbrella. The CRE will continue the work and community relationships that many IU Corps class projects begin.
IU Corps grew out of the IU Bloomington campus strategic planning process as a way to recognize the value of and expand options for student community engagement, from local to global opportunities. IU recognizes the role of those experiences in shaping and often transforming a student’s way of looking at the world and their role in it, and the role IU can have in partnering with communities all over the world.
make more visible all of the rich community engagement already happening on campus
share stories of IU students and the work they are doing to help others
help students at IU to connect with meaningful service opportunities locally, nationally, and globally
over time, tell the story of the aggregated impact of all this work (ex: how many students, how many hours, how many community partners, what issues, what types of activities, how a student develops personally or helps a community connect to opportunities)
No. IU Corps won’t replace or unseat any existing relationships. If a community group is already working with the ACE program, Student Life and Learning, or the Kelley Institute on Social Impact, for example, those relationships will continue as they are. If a student is already connected to one of the over 160 programs on campus, or one of the over 200 student organizations with a service component, that connection will continue. The one change: all of these experiences are now classified as IU Corps experiences.
IU Corps will:
- launch an online clearinghouse of opportunities to help connect students to service engagement opportunities, locally and globally
- offer best practices workshop for students, faculty and staff to ensure that our community engagement practices are as enriching and meaningful for students and for community organizations as possible
- work with campus partners to develop a badging or co-curricular transcript to help students track and share their experiences
- through donor support, offer more students the opportunity to take part in part in local, regional, or international service experiences by providing financial support for travel expenses, hourly compensation, and more