National Volunteer Week

As part of the university’s celebration of National Volunteer Week, take a look back to when CSUSB began its participation in a nationwide study to advance the understanding of students’ interests and experiences regarding approaches to public service.

For the second straight academic year, California State University, San Bernardino has been formally accepted to join a nationwide study to advance the understanding of students’ interests and experiences regarding approaches to public service.

The CSUSB Office of Community Engagement is partnering with colleges and universities across the nation to participate in the Pathways of Public Service and Civic Engagement survey led by Stanford University’s Haas Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement.

“While a student may have a predisposition to a particular pathway, our goal is to enable all students to locate their work within the larger ecosystem of public service and its social, political, and economic contexts,” said Thomas Schnaubelt, executive director of Stanford University’s Haas Center for Public Service.

The Pathways describe different aspects of community engagement that CSUSB students can participate in to contribute to the public good, said Diane Podolske, director of the CSUSB Office of Community Engagement. The six pathways are community engaged learning and research, community organizing and activism, direct service, philanthropy, policy and governance, and social entrepreneurship.

The survey provides each student with a personalized report of their current experience and interest in these aspects of public service, and provides them with links to opportunities for future growth. The personalized report can be used as an advising tool for academic and cocurricular programs, and can also spark a student’s interest in a type of community engagement they had not previously considered.

The CSUSB survey data will be used to inform campus programming efforts and track student interests, Podolske said.

“We urge all students to take this survey! Your results may confirm what you already know about yourself and your interests, or you may find new options that you would like to explore,” Podolske said. “It is quick and easy – why not complete it today?”

The CSUSB Pathways survey is available now through June 2021. To take the survey, visit the Pathways of Public Service and Civic Engagement webpage.

Visit the CSUSB Office of Community Engagement website or email leaveyourpawprint@csusb.edu for more information.