August 21, 2003 :: No. 24

Students Learn the Business of Community Service

This fall, students in an advanced business communications course will learn firsthand about the importance of community service and how it relates to the world of business.

Kathy A. Brzovic, a lecturer in business writing at Cal State Fullerton, is requiring her students devote time to learning about and participating in community action.

“Businesses are part of the community in which they sell their goods and services,” said the faculty member. “Like all of us, business executives know the importance of making the community a better place to live and work.”

Students in Brzovic’s class will spend up to 20 hours during the semester gaining a sense of the needs of a group or organization, identifying a specific problem and developing a solution.

Last spring, Brzovic tried out the effort as a pilot program, which proved so successful that many donated additional time beyond that required for the class.

“I told the students that they were my guinea pigs. They were really good about it,” she recalls. Four students worked with the Easter Seals Senior Center in Brea, arranging for a performance by students from the College of the Arts.

“I especially liked the Easter Seals Project because it created synergies between students in the class and between the College of Business and the College of Arts,” says Brzovic. “It was a win-win situation.”

Students also worked as tutors with at-risk children in the Think Together after-school program in Santa Ana, assisted the Family Support Center in Garden Grove, or volunteered at Working Wardrobes in Garden Grove.

“Comments at the end of the semester reflected the awareness of community and charity efforts,” Brzovic says. “It gave students a tremendous sense of self-confidence and accomplishment.”

Cal State Fullerton encourages students to take part in a variety of service-learning opportunities throughout their college experience. This class assignment is just one example of how faculty members are incorporating volunteerism into the curriculum. Students also participate through the Volunteer and Service Center and student organization activities.