Carolina Center for Public Service - Public Service and Engagement at Carolina

The endowment was created by a gift from an anonymous donor and honors Walter Buckley, a business entrepreneur from Bethlehem, Pa.

“This endowment honors a man who exemplifies the values and quality of public service and engagement we want this program to instill in our students,” said Lynn Blanchard, director of the Carolina Center for Public Service.

The Public Service Scholars program serves more than 2,200 UNC undergraduate students by providing a framework to explore service opportunities and link their academic experience to making a difference in the community. North Carolina Outward Bound School scholarships, courses such as “Philanthropy as a Tool for Social Change” and other special opportunities are available to participants in the program.

Participants broaden their concept of public service to include organizational service, policy and advocacy work, fundraising and philanthropy, as well as social innovation and entrepreneurship.

Blanchard added, “Thanks to this endowment, participants will have opportunities to learn leadership skills through real-life experiences and make impressive contributions to the people they serve.”

Participants who complete the program receive official recognition on their academic transcripts and are honored at graduation. Beginning in 2012, graduates will be known as Buckley Public Service Scholars.

Walter Buckley’s public service includes serving on the investment committee of the national Episcopal Church endowment and as chair of the investment committee of St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem. He is a trustee of the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. He has initiated and endowed numerous need-based academic scholarship funds for secondary and higher educational institutions, and has established an annual lecture by noted American historians and a music faculty endowment at The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, N.J. In addition, Buckley often ensures the education of a young person who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

“While Walter Buckley seeks no publicity or credit for the young people he supports, he often establishes a strong relationship with each of them, continuing to serve as a lifelong mentor,” Blanchard said.

Buckley is co-founder and president of Buckley Muething Capital Management Co., an investment company organized in 1987. He holds two degrees from Cornell University and also has strong Carolina connections. His wife, Marjorie Bryan Buckley, and two of his four children, Walter White “Buck” Buckley III and Alexandra “Alex” Buckley Voris, are UNC graduates and all serve their alma mater.

Buckley Public Service Scholars program invites graduate student facilitators.

The Carolina Center for Public Service (CCPS) is offering support for up to 10 graduate students interested in sharing their expertise with undergraduate students engaged in service in the community and on campus. Selected graduate students will be required to facilitate at least two skills trainings (one per semester) as well as help with the review process of Buckley Public Service Scholar (BPSS) portfolios submitted by graduating seniors. Upon completion of these requirements, a stipend of $500 will be given to the graduate student. For more information on the Buckley Public Service Scholars program visit http://www.unc.edu/ccps/students-scholars-requirements.php. Deadline to apply is 5 p.m. October 10.

Skills Trainings

Undergraduate students enrolled in the BPSS program complete at least four approved skills trainings. Training in the following skill areas can greatly enhance student’s public service efforts:

• Advocacy
• Community organizing
• Effective communication
• Ethics
• Diversity and cultural awareness
• Financial management
• Fundraising and grant-writing
• Policy
• Organizational leadership and management
• Service-specific training (e.g. rape crisis counseling, ESL instruction)

Skills trainings must be interactive, activity-based and designed for participants to build and practice skills. Events where students simply learn information or gain awareness (such as through a lecture, panel or presentation) would not apply. Trainings must be at least one hour in length.

How to Apply

The application for the 2011-2012 academic year is now open. Visit unc.edu/ccps/portal to apply.

The Public Service Scholars program, part of the Carolina Center for Public Service, supports and strengthens Carolina students’ commitment to service, connects them to others who care about similar issues and guides them through training and course work that make their service more effective. Public Service Scholars participants must have a minimum grade-point average, complete at least 300 hours of service, take one service-learning course and attend four skills-training workshops.

Most of this year’s graduates exceeded those requirements, on average completing more 450 hours of service. Ten students reported more than 1,000 hours each, and one student recorded more than 2,000. These students join the 822 past Public Service Scholars, who have graduated since 2003.

“The Public Service Scholars program has clearly demonstrated the importance of experiential education with regards to finding significance in learning,” said Caitlin Donovan, a scholar from Adak, Alaska who plans to attend graduate school. “My work with children, the environment, and even tigers has reinforced the importance of engaging with the community in a productive way.”

This year’s scholars have worked locally at agencies including UNC Hospitals, Big Brothers Big Sisters, North Carolina Prevention Partners, Piedmont Wildlife Center and Victory Junction Camp along with more than 100 others. They have also participated in international public service projects through such agencies as UNICEF, American Red Cross and Global Medical Brigades.
More than 2,200 students participated in the Public Service Scholars program this year. Since the program’s inception in 2003, more than 4,373 students have participated, contributing almost 743,875 hours of service. Current participants represent more than 92 percent of the majors across campus and come from 89 out of 100 North Carolina counties, 40 other states and the District of Columbia, and 24 other countries.

The Carolina Center for Public Service engages and supports students, faculty and staff at Carolina in meeting the needs of North Carolina and beyond. The Center strengthens the university’s public service commitment by promoting engaged scholarship and service that are responsive to the concerns of the state and contribute to the common good.