Wilkinson Family Servant Scholar Program
The Wilkinson Family Servant Scholars Program at LaGrange College is designed to recognize students in the junior and senior years who have distinguished themselves through academic achievement, campus leadership, and demonstrated commitment to service.
Students chosen for the program will live in the Wilkinson Family Servant Scholars Residence Hall (the Broad Street Apartment Building), engage in 20 hours of study that supports the program, and participate in a large-scale problem-solving service project in collaboration with an agency or agencies in the surrounding region, most frequently in LaGrange itself or Troup County. Students are chosen for the program by a selection committee that reviews such factors as cumulative GPA, record of leadership, record of service to the college and community, and evidence of innovative thinking.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Wilkinson Family LaGrange College Servant Scholars program is to enhance the student’s personal growth of leadership and integrity by forming a community of servant scholars who engage in active learning both within and outside the classroom.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- demonstrate, through both academic discipline and volunteer experiences, a broad familiarity with the concepts of service learning and servant leadership.
- engage in genuine servant leadership (i.e., they will work, through academic discipline and volunteer experiences, to understand the roots and causes of community problems and engage in transformation of the community through outreach and service to that community).
- demonstrate the ability to communicate their service experiences, both orally and in writing.
Program Objectives
Focusing on interdisciplinary courses and an extended community service-learning project, the Servant Scholars program provides opportunities for:
- fostering active, creative learning both within and outside of the traditional classroom.
- encouragement and support of students who have been, through academics, campus leadership, and service, challenged and inspired by their LaGrange College experience.
- students to gain experience while providing service to community partners.
Assessment of Outcomes and Objectives
Mastery of the Wilkinson Family Servant Scholars Program curriculum is demonstrated by the following:
- These courses must be satisfied with a grade of "C" or higher, or a “P” if the course is Pass/Fail.
- Successful completion, presentation, and defense of the senior cohort community service project through an academy-wide presentation, the Servant Scholars Colloquium, in the spring semester of the senior year. This project will be evaluated by the Servant Scholars Implementation Committee and the Servant Scholars director.
Majors and Minors
Major Minor
Servant Scholar MinorCourses
This course, through texts, guest lecturers, and discussion, will introduce Servant Scholars to the philosophies of service learning and servant leadership. In addition, students will design and implement a class service project and present a semester-end research paper on a specific aspect of service.
This course continues to explore examples of community needs, community service, problem solving and servant leadership. It provides students opportunities to share Volunteer Experience and begin development of their Servant Scholars senior project. Forums may have a theme for the semester, such as team-building, community outreach, organizational leadership, etc.
Directed observation and participation in various service-learning opportunities in the LaGrange community.
Directed observation and participation in various service-learning opportunities in the LaGrange community.
This course continues to expose the students, through texts, guest lecturers, and discussion, to the ideas of community outreach, community service and servant leadership. The course provides leadership development, project coordination, problem solving and team building skills as the Servant Scholars fulfill their roles in the senior project.
This course continues to expose the students, through texts, guest lecturers, and discussion, to the ideas of community outreach, community service and servant leadership. The course provides leadership development, project coordination, problem solving and team building skills as the Servant Scholars fulfill their roles in the senior project.
This course requires community engagement, community needs assessment, solutions research, and strategy implementation for the senior cohort service project in the LaGrange community.
This course requires community engagement, community needs assessment, solutions research, and strategy implementation for the senior cohort service project in the LaGrange community.
