For the eighth consecutive year, Fresno State students, faculty and staff contributed more than 1 million hours of community service with a record 1,386,449 hours completed by about 14,565 volunteers during the 2016-17 academic year, according to the University’s “Service Impact on the Community” report (attached and available at FersnoStateNews.com).
The report, released by the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning at Fresno State, announced the estimated economic impact of the campus’ 2016-17 community service commitments exceeded $40 million, which also sets a new record for the University.
A recently published study in the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning demonstrates the positive impact that service-learning has on graduation rates.
“This positive impact can also be seen across our Central Valley and beyond in terms of the impact our students have on those served,” said Chris Fiorentino, director of the Richter Center.
According to the Independent Sector, a national nonpartisan network of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and professionals, the value of an hour of volunteer time in California is $28.46. This figure is then multiplied by the number of service hours reported and combined with the financial support students gained from involvement in the programs for the total economic impact of the University’s community service-learning efforts. This calculates to about $40.2 million for University volunteers in the 2016-17 academic year.
“Fresno State’s commitment to service is a hallmark of our University and something we can all take pride in,” Fiorentino said. “We are grateful for such a significant commitment to our University’s community engagement and service-learning efforts.”
For more information, contact Fiorentino at 559.-278.7079 or chrisf@mail.fresnostate.edu.
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(Copy by University Communications news intern Yesenia Candelaria.)
