C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T

Systemwide Collaboration and Community Service: The Kansas Corps Experiment

In May 2008, the Kansas Board of

Regents endorsed a new and

unique concept called Kansas

Corps. The governing body of the

state’s thirty-seven higher educa-

tion institutions gave its approval

to move forward with a systemwide

community service program. Al-

though simple in concept, Kansas

Corps is revolutionary in the way it

uses state resources (college stu-

dents) and how it requires collabo-

rative relationships between state

colleges and universities and other

governmental agencies.

Like many states, Kansas has a

long history of its citizens volun-

teering for the betterment of oth-

ers. Nearly every community in

Kansas was built by volunteers

who constructed civic buildings,

schools, churches, and even their

neighbors’ homes. The statewide

floods of 1951, tornados in Udall

(1955) and Andover (1991), and

recent storms in Greensburg illus-

trate the importance and role that

community service can and must

play. Kansas Corps creates a net-

work of state colleges and universi-

ties to make its students available

for community service. This criti-

cal mass of volunteers has the

potential to affect the entire state.

College student volunteers are a

great resource and should play an

important role in revitalizing com-

munities in Kansas.

For Kansas Corps to be successful,

however, new relationships and

organizational partnerships must

be developed. Kansas universities,

community colleges, and technical

schools operate in an environment

that sometimes can hinder intra-

state cooperation. School loyalty

and organizational cultures and

traditions often impede collabora-

tion. Furthermore, understandable

competition for students, faculty,

and resources also limits colla-

borative efforts. Equally important

is the challenge of developing

relationships between higher edu-

cation and local and state govern-

mental agencies. Kansas Corps

creates a structure that requires

colleges and universities to work

directly with one another and with

other agencies to deliver valuable

community services.

Overview and Program Description

Kansas Corps is a pool of student

volunteers from Kansas colleges

and universities who serve the

community service needs of the

state. The corps acts as a coordi-

nating agency linking the various

community service and volun-

teerism programs from Kansas

higher education institutions for

the direct purpose of serving the

citizens of Kansas. With a single

phone call, this group of college

student volunteers can be mobi-

lized to deliver disaster recovery,

social services, or community de-

velopment assistance to any region

of the state. Many of the public

and private institutions of higher

learning have some form of a pub-

lic service or volunteerism program

that is designed to match college

students with the local commu-

nity. This initiative does not focus

on creating a new community ser-

vice and volunteer program; it

links and builds on established

programs to better serve the state.

The purpose of this initiative is to

create a network of these various

college programs that, when

needed, can be called into action

to serve the state.

Program Purpose

The goals of the Kansas Corps are

threefold. First, this initiative sup-

plies a network of volunteers on a

large scale to address local or

statewide public issues. For exam-

ple, Kansas Corps could work

closely with the state Department

of Emergency Management to fur-

nish needed services in the event

of a tornado or other natural disas-

ter, could be mobilized around a

particular social service need, or

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© 2010 Wi ley Per iodicals , Inc .Publ ished onl ine in Wi ley InterScience (www.interscience.wi ley.com)

Nat ional Civ ic Review • DOI : 10.1002/ncr.276 • Winter 2009

42

could link college volunteers

together to address a particular

community development assis-

tance program.

Second, and equally important,

the Kansas Corps promotes citi-

zenship and civic engagement

among the participating college

students. This unique program is a

training ground for students to

become more civically engaged

and inspire their passion for social

responsibility and active participa-

tion. In this pursuit, Kansas Corps

will create a new generation of

Kansans who empower themselves

and have the skills and capabili-

ties to act on behalf of the greater

good.

Third, it is our hope that the

Kansas Corps initiative will be a

springboard for other forms of col-

laboration among the institutions

of higher learning in the state.

Although collaboration between

these institutions does exist,

intentional efforts such as this ini-

tiative will likely facilitate a

renewed spirit of unity and pur-

pose. The Kansas Corps initiative

could encourage a conversation

leading to a new attitude and cul-

ture of collaboration among the

institutions of higher learning.

Furthermore, it is hoped that new

relationships can also be fostered

between higher education and

other government and nongovern-

mental entities.

Areas of Service

The Kansas Corps program focuses

on three primary areas of public

need. These areas are either geo-

graphically based or issue based.

Geographically based service

events are hosted in a specified

location. Students from many

schools will come together at one

location to fill a public service

need (tornado ravished Greens-

burg, Kansas). Issue based service

events are activities that are held

in multiple locations around the

state but all focus on the same

service topic (multiple Habitat for

Humanity projects).

Planned service events and activi-

ties are designed to address these

public service needs:

• Disaster Recovery. College stu-

dent volunteers can be mobi-

lized to deliver a variety of

emergency services following a

local or statewide disaster.

Students could be trained to

address events ranging from

natural disasters to terrorism.

• Social Services. College student

volunteers can be called to

assist with the development

and/or operations of social ser-

vice programs. For example,

volunteers could be involved in

the issues of homelessness, lit-

eracy, child development, or

elderly services.

• Community Development Assis-

tance. College student volun-

teers can be assembled to

assist Kansas communities with

a variety of community develop-

ment needs. College students

could help construct play-

grounds and public parks,

assist with downtown renova-

tion, or provide valuable

resources and services to eco-

nomically depressed regions of

Kansas.

Program Structure

In the development of Kansas

Corps, several program structures

were considered that directly

relate to organizational arrange-

ment and administrative practices.

It was determined that the best

structure for this state is one of a

shared responsibility–partnership

model. Kansas Corps serves as the

centralized office for a newly cre-

ated confederation that includes

an alliance of participating Kansas

colleges and universities. Here is

additional clarification of the

Kansas Corps structure:

• An appointed student advisory

council from participating

schools governs Kansas Corps.

The council works closely with

Kansas Corps staff to select ser-

vice events and activities as

well as lend leadership to the

program. The student advisory

council promotes Kansas Corps

and assists in volunteer recruit-

ment at their respective

schools.

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The Kansas Corps initiativecould encourage a conversa-tion leading to a new attitudeand culture of collaborationamong the institutions ofhigher learning.

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• Kansas Corps is the centralized

coordinating agency in the net-

work. Staff are responsible for

planning, implementing, and

monitoring service events and

activities. In addition, they per-

form administrative functions

that enable continuance of the

program.

• Kansas Corps staff recruit and

educate all types of higher edu-

cation institutions about the

initiative and encourage partic-

ipation in events. They also

develop relationships with criti-

cal nonprofits; local, state, and

national government agencies;

and Kansas communities.

• Participating colleges and uni-

versities are responsible for

recruiting their student volun-

teers. Schools determine how

many and which students par-

ticipate in Kansas Corps events

of their choice.

• Participating colleges and uni-

versities are responsible for

identifying a point of contact on

their campus. This contact is

the liaison between Kansas

Corps and the student volun-

teers.

• Nonprofits, state and national

government agencies, and com-

munities share responsibility in

implementing service events.

These partners allocate valu-

able resources, opportunities,

and expertise to maximize the

impact of these student volun-

teers on the state of Kansas.

Planning and Development Process

Kansas Corps was born out of a

grassroots effort in the spring of

2007, when ten Kansas colleges

and universities came together to

discuss various issues related to

their community service programs.

At this “day of sharing” minicon-

ference, administrators, faculty,

and students discussed the idea of

collaborative work and the Kansas

Corps concept. This original core

group has now grown to include

the Kansas Board of Regents,

Kansas Campus Compact, Kansas

Volunteer Commission, Fort Hays

State University’s Center for Civic

Leadership, and the state’s institu-

tions of higher learning.

During the 2007 summer, a small

planning team moved the idea of

the Kansas Corps from an abstract

concept to a preproposal. This

team conducted valuable research

and explored program options.

With the encouragement of regent

members and the students’ advi-

sory committee of the Kansas

Board of Regents, a larger plan-

ning committee was formed. This

committee consisted of college

and university liaisons, college

students, nonprofit administrators,

state legislators, and state agency

representatives. This group hosted

four focus groups around the state.

In addition, interviews were con-

ducted with college and university

administrators and college stu-

dents. Finally, the comprehensive

proposal received an endorsement

in May 2008 by the Kansas Board

of Regents.

Pilot Projects

The concept of the Kansas Corps

was first tested on April 19, 2008,

when more than fifty students and

sponsors from six colleges and

universities across the state gath-

ered to create a hiking and biking

trail in the community of Melvern.

Partnering with the local trail com-

mittee, a private corporation, a

state agency, and a nonprofit orga-

nization, participating students

were able to help this small com-

munity convert what was once a

landfill into a health and fitness

trail that residents hope will stim-

ulate their local economy. In addi-

tion to promoting fitness, the trails

are being used as outdoor class-

rooms for the community and

school districts in the surrounding

area.

A second pilot project was com-

pleted in Chapman, in April 2009.

Students from another six colleges

and universities gathered to help

rebuild the community following a

devastating tornado. College vol-

unteers worked together with the

local volunteer coordinator to

repaint houses, build porches,

clean up a creek bed, and frame

and install windows in a home.

These pilot projects showed how

Kansas Corps could be a tremen-

dous asset for the entire state.

National Civ ic Review DOI : 10.1002/ncr Winter 2009

Kansas Corps serves as thecentralized office for a newlycreated confederation thatincludes an alliance of partic-ipating Kansas colleges anduniversities.

44

Feedback from the event showed

that participating parties recog-

nized the value of the concept.

Student volunteers reported they

are willing to serve and believe

they can make a difference.

Our First Steps

Continued development of the

Kansas Corps program occurred in

spring 2009. A private foundation

awarded seed monies to imple-

ment the program full-time. In

addition, an AmeriCorps VISTA

position was secured to generate

staffing for the program. These

funds allow the 2009–10 school

term to serve as the inaugural year

of the program. Statewide service

projects are being developed as

well as policies and procedures for

permanent implementation of a

year-round program. The focus is

establishing partnerships with

additional state agencies, corpora-

tions, and nonprofits as well as the

state’s colleges and universities.

In addition to the previously men-

tioned resources, twenty positions

within the AmeriCorps program

were secured in the summer

2009. Students from multiple

campuses were recruited for these

positions. These students then

recruited other volunteers from

their campuses to participate in

Kansas Corps service projects.

These AmeriCorps members also

received training in emergency

response and participated in state

and local volunteerism.

Conclusion

In today’s environment of scarce

resources, it is more important

than ever to find innovative ways

to address public issues. Although

it is not uncommon to find a

national or local community ser-

vice program, the Kansas Corps

model is unique in that it is a

statewide initiative. The advantage

of this program is that it uses

untapped state resources and

requires systemwide collaborative

relationships to furnish much-

needed community service.

Curt Brungardt is the executive direc-tor of the Center for Civic Leadershipand Voss Distinguished Professor ofLeadership Studies at Fort Hays StateUniversity, Hays, Kansas.

Chantelle S. Arnold is the director ofprogram operations at the Center forCivic Leadership at Fort Hays StateUniversity, Hays, Kansas.

National Civ ic Review DOI : 10.1002/ncr Winter 2009