News
April 4
In his 2002 inaugural address to the Tufts community, University President Larry Bacow said that Tufts' "unique contribution" to the community and world should be "educating the first generation of leaders for a truly global world." For 10 years, Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC) - which has been affiliated with Tufts since 1995 - has been working towards a concurrent goal. According to the MACC website, the organization was created based on the belief that "through sustained and creative student, faculty and institutional involvement in community service, higher education realizes its most noble goals of educating citizens, preparing tomorrow's leaders and contributing to the life of America's communities." In an effort to increase collaboration, coordination, and cooperation between Mass. institutions of higher education, MACC was created as a regional representative of the national Campus Compact program. The creation of the national program's 16th affiliate became official in 1995 - and of the organization's 23 founding members, Tufts was chosen to house the offices of MACC. "[Former University President] Dr. [John] DiBiaggio took the lead in finding a spot for MACC and made Tufts the site for our office," MACC Executive Director Barbara Canyes said. "We consider it a successful partnership, and hope to remain here." Canyes credits much of the expansion of MACC's activities and membership to DiBiaggio. "A lot had to do with DiBiaggio opening the door by talking to other presidents, holding meetings here...now, we've taken the program across the state," she said. More than 50,000 students have engaged in community service-based learning opportunities through MACC, amassing more than 500,000 hours of service yearly. And according to a MACC publication, the organization has contributed over $3 million in grants to support close to 450 campus-community collaboration projects. Last week, the organization celebrated its 10th anniversary. Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, an instrumental figure in the creation of the organization, returned to address members on issues of expansion and sustainability. Today, MACC boasts the membership of 61 Mass. institutions of higher education. According to the publication, the organization has "reached over 25,000 campus and community leaders with its training, professional development, and technical services." Nowadays, much of MACC's involvement with the Tufts campus occurs through collaboration with the University College of Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS). "We sit down with UCCPS to find out what their initiatives are and where we can come in with our strengths," Canyes said. In order to increase awareness of the organization's activities, MACC maintains a close working relationship with about 10 individuals in UCCPS, including 20 to 30 faculty members, numerous staff and administrators, and the LCS campus volunteer group. Currently, there are 14 Tufts students working with a campus supervisor at UCCPS. "When we announce programs, we announce through our distribution list, we have a printed newsletter which has thousands of contacts throughout Massachusetts, and events are posted on our website," Canyes said. Canyes hopes MACC will become even more involved with the Tufts community. "We'd like to invite any student group to use us as a resource, in terms of holding leadership development, fundraising, or grant-writing workshops," Canyes said. The activities of the organization are wide-ranging, and include AmeriCorps VISTA, a full-time national service program for graduating seniors. "I was a VISTA for two years after college," said Jon Parise, MACC Student Programs and Communications Associate. Each year, someone from Tufts participates as a VISTA representative, and Canyes calls the program "tremendously successful." As a VISTA campus representative, one strives to "build community partnerships across the state and strengthen service learning," Parise said, adding that the goal of VISTA is to make a self-sustaining impact that will last long after one's placement expires. MACC was recently involved in the Raise Your Voice Month of Action, a program that ran from Feb. 20 to Mar. 26. For its part, MACC offered the Student Civic Engagement Month Presidential Activity Fund. Striving to bring students and college presidents together, the program offered a $750 grant in support of events that promoted campus democracy and civic life, as well as an understanding of community issues. The organization urged University presidents to "match with $200-$500 for follow-up and contribution activities led by students." Some students interested in participating in community service activities during the summer months are prevented from becoming involved due to financial constraints. "Many students want to do volunteer work over the summer but simultaneously want to receive some sort of compensation," Parise said. Aware of this issue, MACC now offers the Scholarships for Service Summer Program, which is aimed at supporting such students. "We get a grant from AmeriCorps to give a $1,000 educational award to be applied to student loans or tuition to students having done 300 hours of service," Parise said. While the deadline for application has already passed for this summer, a scholarship is also offered throughout the year. And each year, MACC hosts a conference, encouraging student attendance by helping defray the costs for those demonstrating such need. This year's event will be held June 9 to 11 at Pine Manor College and will address issues of social change in the arts.
