Community partners

Our community partnerships are an integral component of the Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement. Each year, we partner with more than 200 local community agencies. These partners, including nonprofits, schools and government agencies, are the primary organizations in which University students serve. Resources and support are provided for our partners to sustain and strengthen our relationships with the community.

For a list of all all academic service-learning community partners, visit partner list.

Benefits of partnership

Community partners experience a variety of benefits when working with the Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement. Nevada students, faculty, and staff assist local organizations in a variety of ways:

• Diversifying and increasing its volunteer pool
• Educating college students about community needs and social issues
• Promoting the organization to new audiences
• Providing access to university resources and professional development opportunities
• Creating positive relationships with members of the University community

What is service-learning?

Service-learning is a way of teaching and learning that links course content to "real-life" experiences that center on a community need or issue. Through reflection activities students are given the opportunity to understand what was learned and experienced, and how the community was benefited.

Service-learning is a direct expression of the Nevada mission and a critical component of the curriculum. Service-learning courses equip students with the knowledge and experience necessary to transform them into future leaders and socially-conscious citizens.

What is a community partner?

A community partner is a co-educator who works directly with faculty to provide high quality service- learning projects for groups of students on a semester basis. This entails providing training, orientation, and supervision for students who serve from 15-140 hours per semester.

Community partners are integral to the success of our service-learning students. Community partners serve as co-educators who facilitate onsite learning, resulting in an integrative teaching approach that provides a foundation for student learning.

Is your organization interested in becoming a community partner?

The Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (OSLCE) serves to create, maintain and sustain partnerships with our local and regional community. We look forward to partnering with you to enhance the learning experience of Nevada students.

To initiate a partnership with the OSLCE, the following criteria are required:

• Site must maintain a current non-profit 501c(3) status, be a government agency or school district
• Provide a certificate of general liability insurance
• Conduct a Self-Assessment of Learning Site for Risk Management
• Sign an University-Organization Agreement
• Provide student supervision

Sites can not provide opportunities that have students:

• driving as part of service responsibilities
• soliciting donations or fundraising for political purposes
• attempting to influence legislation
• prophesying or promoting a particular religious doctrine or political candidate
• organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes
• assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing
• participating in activities that pose a significant safety risk to participants
• any paid service activities

If you are interested in a service-learning partnership or would like to know more about our program, please complete the Community Partner Interest form or contact Matthew Little (matthewlittle@unr.edu, (775) 682-8267).

To learn more about our program please read our Frequently Asked Questions.