Community Engagement & New Student Programs
Amanda Dubois, Director
The Office of Community Engagement and New Student Programs educates members of the Lehman campus community on the importance of responsible citizenship through new student orientation, community development programs, service efforts, practical application of knowledge, and an awareness of global issues impacting local communities.
Amanda Dubois is the coordinator of New Student Orientation in the Office of Career Services. She has a B.A. from Bridgewater State College in her home state of Massachusetts and an M.A. in higher education administration from New York University, where she previously worked as a community development educator in residential education. She is a researcher and educator in the area of the sophomore experience and has over ten years of experience in higher education programs.
Dubois has served as an intern with the National Orientation Directors Association and worked on orientation and welcome programs at four different colleges and universities over the past decade. She recognizes the need for a strong orientation program to shape students' experience and to aid in the retention of the second-year population. Dubois's Her motto is "Inspire, Higher"— if you get excited or passionate about something and exhibit that to others, often you will inspire someone else to do the same.
There are four major components of the Office of Community Engagement and New Student Programs.
New Student Programs
New Student Orientation is held before the beginning of each semester to help facilitate a smooth transition to Lehman College for First-Year Students and Transfer Students. Research shows that the first six weeks is a crucial period of time in which a student either feels connected to their college, or not. Therefore Lehman College hosts "Weeks of Welcome" which take place during the first six weeks of the Fall Semester.
Community Engagement
Community Service is a very large part of our day to day operation and includes many of the events listed below.
Ongoing and One-Day Service projects allow students to volunteer for programs on a one-time basis or as a continual volunteer project such as Publicolor, Free Arts NYC Days, Million Trees NYC tree planting, Bronx One On One Mentoring mentoring program, participating with Jumpstart on an ongoing basis, Computers for Youth teaching children and their families how to use their new educational system.
Walks/Runs - A wonderful way to involve students in making a difference is to create a team to participate in a walk to raise awareness or money for research. Lehman students have participated in Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera’s “Walk With Me” Against Domestic Violence, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Walk at Orchard Beach. During the Spring semester members of the Lehman Community participate in the MS Walk and AIDS Walk New York.
Craft of Caring - We recognize that most of our students have quite busy schedules, balancing school, work, family and a host of other experiences. Therefore we continued to hold a series to make service more accessible for those with limited time available. Through our Craft of Caring series, Lehman students and staff participated in one-day service projects right here on campus. Students can stay at the program for the whole time, or feel free to drop by and contribute for a few minutes. Programs include Treats for Troops care package creation, Surgi-doll sewing, cards and trick or treat bags for the Child Care Center.
Civic Engagement Recognition Day – Our fifth annual ceremony to recognize the work that our students have done in the community and across the globe was held on May 4,2011 Our guest of honor and keynote speaker was Carter Via, Executive Director of Cross Cultural Thresholds. Students’ commitment to civic engagement and global citizenship is recognized at this annual event of those who volunteered for three or more programs. We also recognize outstanding commitment to civic engagement by a student group, outstanding commitment to service by and Orientation Workshop Leader and the award for Excellence in Civic Engagement by a student.
The President’s Service Corps, endorsed by President Ricardo Fernández completed its first full year in existence and inducted 6 new members in May of 2011. This select group of 10 students is made up of the top student leaders in service who will serve as ambassadors for Lehman College in both on- and off-campus volunteer efforts. The President’s Service Corps serves as site leaders, engaging their peers and promoting campus-wide involvement in the community over the next academic year.
Lehman L.I.F.E.
LEHMAN L.I.F.E. SUPPORTS SERVICE OPPORTUNITITES FOR STUDENTS BY CREATING AWARENESS OF NEED IN COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD AND FOSTERING ACTION THROUGH VOLUNTEER WORK. OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF ISSUES AFFECTING HUMANITY FROM OUR CAMPUS TO THE GLOBAL SOCIETY.
Students have traveled to Dominican Republic, New Orleans, Virginia Beach, Cincinnati, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Kenya to perform community service efforts and aid other communities in their own sustainability. Each year, we begin planning for the following academic year's trips. If you would like to get involved, please contact our office right away!
Service Learning
In its most basic form, Service-learning is an instructional approach that draws explicit connections between classroom learning and immediate issues in the community by creating opportunities for students to be active in community-based service or research as part of a course. Faculty members work with the Office of Community Engagement and New Student Programs and a community-based organization or non-profit to create an in-class experience that relates to a particular service project that students within that course will partake in. Reflection is a large part of the educational process of volunteer work.
Location: Shuster Hall, Room 208
Phone: 718-960-8151
Fax: 718-960-8243
E-mail: amanda.dubois@lehman.cuny.edu
Last modified: Mar 30, 2012
