New ASU program helps undergrads change the world

• ASU announced Monday that it is launching the first Public Service Academy for undergrads in the country
• PSA is a program for undergraduate students interested in public service to learn how to become leaders of social change, even if their career isn't within its typical fields
• It also is the first university in the country to be designated a charter Employer of National Service, meaning they recruit employees that are AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni

It can be hard to translate visions of making the world a better place into doable actions with measurable impact or even a real job.

For students who dream of changing the world but aren't sure how, a new program at Arizona State University will teach select undergrads how collaborative work can make leaders in public service, or services provided by the government to enhance everyone's life (think education, health care and public safety.)

ASU's Public Service Academy, the first of its kind in the U.S., will help train undergraduate students to become leaders of social change, even if their intended career isn't in what's traditionally thought of as public service.

Incoming freshmen of all majors can apply to join the Public Service Academy, a four-year program of classes, hands-on experiences and internships to create working relationships between civilians and military personnel and collaborations among the public, private and non-profit sectors. It launches in August.

The academy has accepted 100 incoming freshmen and two international students for its first class. Recruitment primarily targeted veterans and low-income and first-generation students.

"I'm very excited I get to be in the first class to start it," Emily Giel, a Desert Vista High School senior. "I think my class is going to be able to set the tone for the organization, and I know it's going to develop into a great thing. Schools may take it across the country and around the world."

Giel fell in love with service through volunteer trips with her church, where she's helped people in such places as Puerto Rico and the Navajo Reservation and found leadership skills as president of her school's speech and debate team. At ASU, she plans to major in marketing or business.

"I live in a suburban bubble in Ahwatukee and a lot of times you don't get to see the faces of poverty or different situations," Giel said. "Experiences when I was younger and today have let me see other sides of world. I think once you've experienced that it kind of becomes a responsibility to work your hardest and help other people."

For others of all ages who have already served in Americorps or the Peace Corps, ASU is the first university in the country to be among a new set of employers that places special emphasis on hiring those alumni, giving them a competetive edge.

Politicians and activists have called for a sort of training academy for those interested in public service – like a military academy but for volunteers – for more than 200 years, said Jonathan Koppell, dean of ASU's College of Public Service and Community Solutions.

There are people who seek to enter public service by majoring in, for example, criminology, emergency management, non-profit leadership or social work. But the ASU program aims to foster greater collaboration by capturing people in other disciplines, such as biologists, engineers, mathematicians and entrepreneurs.

Journalist Tom Brokaw in 2011 beat the drum for the creation of public-service academies while on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Such programs could give people formal guidance on how to effectively help others, especially through public-private partnerships.

ASU's Public Service Academy is the first undergraduate program that will attempt fill that calling.

Other private companies have created similar programs, such as Intel's Education Service Corps, and two AmeriCorps alums are currently creating the U.S. Public Service Academy, which will be the first national civilian university.

"ASU already has forged a new model for higher education; now it is blazing a new path for public service," Brokaw was quoted as saying in an ASU press release. "In an era of global uncertainty, this is exactly the kind of educational initiative our country needs. I hope many more universities start encouraging the desire to serve locally and globally, and to be engaged as citizens."

Good intentions are nice, but targeted skills are necessary in order to make a bigger impact, Koppell said.

"PSA students will be ready to move beyond the conventional paths of their peers, forging new solutions through cross-disciplinary collaboration — artists working with medical scientists, environmentalists working with engineers, military leaders working with social workers," he said.

They could be business leaders that focus on creating public housing or teachers that focus on giving Native American students equal access to education.

NGSC will include a set of seven leadership courses and a series of summer internships in non-profit, government and private organizations, as well as annual retreats, service opportunities and collaborative events with Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets. Upon completion, academy graduates will be members of the Next Generation Service Corps, having earned a Leadership, Ethics and Service certificate from the College of Public Service and Community Solutions.

About 480 cadets already in ROTC will participate alongside the 100 students in the NGSC. ROTC cadets will not be mandated to participate, but encouraged to sign up for shared leadership experiences with NGSC students as a way to develop trust and partnership. ROTC graduates will not earn anything separately from their commission as officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.

"We are committed to helping students prepare for the pathways they want to follow after university, and our charter makes explicit that ASU takes responsibility for contributing to the public good," said ASU President Michael Crow in a statement. "This program furthers those aspects of our mission by devoting significant resources at ASU to training the next generation of leaders committed to public service."

President Barack Obama launched Employers of National Service in September 2014 as part of a White House ceremony celebrating AmeriCorps's 20th anniversary. Any employer that signed up to participate by Dec. 31 was considered a charter member. ASU is one of two dozen.

ASU is the first university in the country to be designated a charter Employer of National Service. Those charter members are among more than 200 employers across the country that actively seek employees with national-service experience in organizations such as AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps.

"Congrats ASU on being our first higher-education (member)," said Wendy Spencer, the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and other national-service programs. "I'm going to be parading that around the country."

ASU was followed by the University of Arizona, as well as four other colleges, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service website.

Other local Employers of National Service include Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, Sodexo, HandsOn Greater Phoenix, Mesa United Way, and the cities of Phoenix, Tempe and Avondale.

Arizona has more than 3,400 people participating in national service at more than 770 locations around the state, according to the CNCS site.

Volunteering has been proven to increase an unemployed person's likelihood of finding a job, Spencer said. It boosts the likelihood by 27 percent, jumping to 51 percent if the person doesn't have a high-school diploma and 55 percent if they live in a rural area, she said.

"I applaud President Michael Crow for his leadership in making ASU an Employer of National Service. By taking this step, ASU is making a smart move to attract talented, dedicated, and experienced leaders that will help shape the next generation of service leaders."

Fast facts: Public Service Academy

What it is: A program to equip those with dreams of changing the world with the hands-on experience and skill sets necessary to do so and become a leader. It emphasizes cross-sector experiences as a way to foster synergistic partnerships, between the public, private and nonprofit sectors as well as between the civilian and military sectors.

Who can apply: Incoming ASU freshmen of all majors.

When they can apply: The next cohort can apply in November. First-time freshmen can apply through the ASU scholarship portal after they have applied to ASU.

How many people are accepted: Currently, 100 students per year. This year's class is already full. ASU hopes to grow it to 650 students per year.

When it starts: August. It's a four-year program.

What participants get: A Leadership, Ethics, and Service certificate from ASU's College of Public Service and Community Solutions.

Details: psa.asu.edu.