Texans Team Up
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 24, 2016
STEPHENVILLE, Texas—True to its commitment to service, Tarleton State University plans a full week of activities, appropriately called Texans Team Up, April 2 through 8. The week includes the university’s legendry Round Up, a 24-hour online giving program and community service projects tied to classroom learning.
“Tarleton takes pride in giving back to the community,” said President Dominic F. Dottavio, “encouraging students, faculty and staff to help make Stephenville and our outreach locations great places to live and learn. Service is one of the university’s core values and, this spring, we take that commitment to a new level with an entire week of activities.”
The week kicks off Saturday, April 2, with Tarleton’s 18th annual Round Up—a single-day, student-led, student-initiated project held in conjunction with Keep Stephenville Beautiful. Students, faculty and staff will roll up their sleeves to help local residents with everything from cleaning windows to general lawn and garden work.
Last year, nearly 700 students, faculty and staff completed 81 projects. This year’s goal is 1,000 volunteers and 100 projects. Round Up also expands outside Stephenville to Tarleton’s outreach locations in Fort Worth, Waco and Midlothian.
On Tuesday, April 5, Tarleton launches its first Day of Giving, designed as a way for the entire university family—including alumni and friends—to pay it forward to students. The goal is for 1,899 participants (representing the year Tarleton was founded) to give any amount of their choice. There is no minimum, and gifts can be made online or at a drop-off station on the plaza between the Barry B. Thompson Student Center and Dining Hall.
Donations are tax deductible, and can be designated to any Tarleton college, program or organization. To give online, visit tarleton.edu/dayofgiving/ between 12:01 a.m. and 12:59 p.m.
Alumni, students, faculty and staff are invited to have Coffee with John from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on the Day of Giving at the John Tarleton statue and to a Stephenville Chamber of Commerce mixer at 5 p.m. in the Administration Building.
Texans turn what they learn in the classroom into opportunities to offer help on Thursday, April 7, for Tarleton’s Service Day. For example, education majors can sign up to lend a hand at Stephenville High School. Those enrolled in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences may assist with Tarleton’s FFA Invitational at the Lone Star Arena.
Service Day is part of efforts by Tarleton’s Center of Academic Outreach and Engagement (AOE) to build a culture of social responsibility by connecting academic programs with community needs. To help Tarleton faculty increase and launch service learning courses, AOE has established the Engaged Scholars Academy. The academy is designed to help faculty promote citizenship and community involvement.
“Service learning experiences move students beyond the classroom, providing opportunities for them to apply academic knowledge to real-world situations,” said Dr. Denae Dorris, AOE director. “Service learning enhances comprehension of course content while fostering a sense of social responsibility.
“Service Day, along with Tarleton’s strong and longstanding commitment to community support, positions the university to achieve Carnegie Community Engagement Classification,” she said. The classification is reserved for universities that show a sustainable commitment to volunteer service and use school resources for public good.
Many Service Day projects qualify as Applied Learning Experiences. Students can sign up at https://orgsync.com/129498/chapter.
For more information on Texans Team Up, visit tarleton.edu/texansteamup/.
Tarleton, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service, and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow’s professional leaders. With campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.
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Contact: Dr. Denae Dorris
254-968-1990
dorris@tarleton.edu
