Program Requirements
Program Description
The Service Scholars Program embodies the spirit of community and caring that is the hallmark of the Fisher experience. Scholarships are awarded annually to high school seniors from across the region who exhibit outstanding community service through activities in their schools, places of worship, and community agencies.
In order to retain their awards while engaged in full-time study as matriculated students, service scholars are required to do the following:
- Participate in a two-course learning community titled Leadership Through Self-Development during the fall semester of their first year at St. John Fisher College
- Complete a 1/2-credit service learning seminar in the spring semester of their freshman year (SERV 130C) and in the spring semester of their senior year (SERV 334)
- Pass one service learning course (3-4 credits) taken at any time after their freshman year. Courses that fulfill this requirement can be found during registration each semester by searching for the service learning (SLC) attribute
- Fulfill a commitment to community service hours as indicated below:
First year = 130 hours
Second year = 200 hours
Third year = 200 hours
Fourth year = 200 hours - Maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of their degree requirements
Upon completion, students will be awarded a Certificate in Service Leadership.
Questions about the Fisher Service Scholars Program can be addressed to the director of community service.
Note: Students fill out a learning agreement and commit to an hours-logged policy. The learning agreement is a document they write with their volunteer site supervisor. It outlines their goals, and is an important way of ensuring that they are utilized at the site in a way that matches their own vision for what they want to achieve through community service. The hours-logged policy is a simple form that ensures students are aware of the number of volunteer hours required each year by the service learning scholarship. Both the learning and hours-logged agreements are important for student responsibility and accountability.
Community service hours are recorded through the office of the director of community service. The scholarship program depends on one or two primary sites at which a student performs most of his or her volunteer hours. However, students can also volunteer at other, more temporary sites toward fulfilling their hours requirements. In addition, students can arrange to have a portion of the community service hours they perform during semester breaks credited toward their yearly hours requirements. The policies governing retention of the service scholarship are explained in a fact sheet provided for all students. Further questions should be directed to the director of community service.
Note: Students who study abroad during one or more semesters can make alternative arrangements with the director of community service to satisfy their community service hours and their service-learning seminar requirements.