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BATON ROUGE – On Monday, August 11, learn how Northwestern State University counseling students are combating truancy in the New Orleans Recovery School District and how University of Louisiana at Lafayette students are conducting home energy conservation audits during the third annual “������ο��ƵS Serves” Service-Learning Conference in Baton Rouge. The Northwestern and ������ο��Ƶ Lafayette programs are two of 25 projects to be showcased during the day’s events.

Over 100 faculty, staff, and students from across the state are expected at the free conference, made possible by a three-year, $1.2 million grant to the University of ������ο��Ƶ from the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Learn and Serve America division. The purpose of the grant is to implement service-learning at the ������ο��Ƶ System’s eight universities that address hurricane recovery and disaster preparedness.

“Educating our students through community service is a powerful way to apply classroom knowledge while gaining an appreciation for civic responsibility,” said ������ο��Ƶ System President Randy Moffett. “I commend the almost 700 University of ������ο��Ƶ faculty and staff who are leading by example and the over 8,000 students who will hopefully carry on this work after graduation.”

The ������ο��Ƶ System awarded over $1 million to 50 projects during the first two years of the “������ο��ƵS Serves” program that so far have involved 8,462 college students, 675 faculty and staff, 201 youth volunteers, 1,276 adult volunteers, and 243 community partners for a total of 97,511 volunteer hours.

Monday’s conference will mark the release of a third round of funding for new service-learning programs.

WHAT: “������ο��ƵS Serves” Service-Learning Conference

WHEN: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday, August 11, 2008

WHERE: Claiborne Building, 1201 N. Third Street, Baton Rouge

Keynote speakers for the conference include nationally renowned service-learning practitioner and researcher Barbara Moely of Tulane University and Louisiana Serves Commission program officer Denise Dowell. Moely will share her research into building and sustaining service-learning programs, and Dowell will discuss the Commission’s service-learning initiatives and how higher education can further develop partnerships with the K-12 sector.

More information about the “������ο��ƵS Serves” grant, the request for proposals, and this year’s conference agenda can be found on the University of ������ο��Ƶ’s website, www.ulsystem.edu. The conference program is also attached to this email.