Scholarships and Social Responsibility
Each transfer and four-year scholarship student is required to complete at least 20 hours of volunteer service over the course of the each academic year (fall, winter, spring, and/or summer terms).
Through this requirement, the Scholarship Office hopes to help foster within its scholarship recipients a lasting dedication to social responsibility and citizenship. Students will not only have the opportunity to give back to others, but also have the chance to learn new skills while continuing to build upon existing ones. Through volunteering, the Scholarship Office hopes students will be exposed to new perspectives and different ways of thinking about issues within the community.
- The 20-hour service requirement can be met through any means the student chooses, but it must be through an official student or community organization. See examples below.
- Service hours that do not count toward the requirement include: any hours associated with course credit, monetary compensation, research assistantships, internships, lab work, specific political candidate, official, or parties, and any other professional experiences (paid or unpaid) cannot be counted toward the requirement.
The LSA Office reserves the right to evaluate the legitimacy of service work on a case-by-case basis. Students will receive an email if any or all of their service hours do not meet the necessary requirements.
What is considered community service?
There are three different classifications of volunteering to consider when deciding how to utilize the time:
Direct Service: working directly with community members or those being served.
- Mentoring children within the community
- Assisting the elderly
- Volunteering at shelters for the homeless
- Visiting hospitals
- Helping out at community centers
Indirect Service: working on a project THAT impacts the community in an ancillary way.
- Volunteering for disaster relief or clean-up
- Assisting with environmentally focused projects
- Participating in urban renewal projects (community painting, building, etc.)
- Helping with UM student organization fundraising
- Organizing a community food drive
Advocacy Service: working for the alleviation of a community issue (homelessness, nonviolence, etc.)
- Conducting information campaigns
- Helping with voter registration drives
- Lobbying or speaking on behalf of a community issue
How do I log my service hours?
- Students, unless otherwise instructed, will have from September until August to fulfill their 20 hour service requirement for each year of their scholarship.
- A link will be emailed at the beginning of the Fall semester.
- Students are expected to submit one Google form per organization that they volunteer with each semester. If they volunteer with the same organization more than once during a semester, they will be able edit the Google form they submitted for the organization and add hours/information throughout the semester.
- All hours must be submitted by the deadlines communicated in the service program emails that students receive.
What are some available volunteer opportunities?
Appreciate + Reciprocate
Appreciate + Reciprocate is a volunteer organization created by students who are recipients of scholarships from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan. They work to bring together students from all parts of campus in ways that benefit the university community by organizing fundraisers, volunteer work, and social events.
If you are interested in volunteering for A+R events or would like to learn more about joining the society, please contact arboard2018@umich.edu.
View their promotional video.
Other Organizations:
Here is a list of different organizations students report. You are not limited to these options. For more information, please visit their websites.
- 826Michigan
- Adopt-a-Highway
- Alternative Spring Break
- Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum
- Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department
- Big Hearts for Seniors
- Blood Battle
- Detroit Partnership
- Dance Marathon
- English Language Institute
- FEMMES (Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering, and the Sciences)
- Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library
- Food Gatherers
- Glacier Hills Senior Living Community
- Girls Who Code
- Habitat for Humanity
- Humane Society
- Michigan Community Scholars Program
- Michigan Theater
- Motley Crew
- Move-In Makers
- Ozone House
- Recycle Ann Arbor - ReUse Center
- Relay for Life
- Ronald McDonald House
- Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center
- University of Michigan Health System
- University Musical Society
- Wolverine Tutors
Also check out the Ginsberg Center's Connect to Community or organizations in your hometown for more opportunties.
