Untitled - Show Answer - Butler University

CRITERION ONE: MISSION
BUTLER UNIVERSITY SELF-STUDY REPORT
• The Department of Biological Sciences is involved in a number of educational endeavors with
children, such as College Mentors for Kids and the Science Olympiad. In addition, faculty members
serve as mentors for Planting Science, an online program that matches botanists with middle
school and high school students doing experiments with plants. The Friesner Herbarium provides
a number of outreach activities to the Indianapolis community, such as maintaining public
databases of Indiana plant specimens and an inventory of flora in Marion County; providing an
online tree identification website for local trees; and conducting a tree identification workshop for
K–12 teachers. The herbarium staff also sponsor monthly nature walks for the public on Butler’s
campus.
• The Department of English coordinates the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series. This
series brings in 10-14 published writers each year to present public readings. These presentations
are free and open to the public. Students in the M.F.A. in Creative Writing program conduct
workshops for undergraduate and graduate students in the Efroymson Center for Creative Writing.
The Center also offers “Conversations@ECCW,” a series of informal conversations with local
and visiting writers from a range of genres. These conversations are free and open to the public. In
addition, the Butler Bridge Program utilizes faculty and students in the English program to build
a bridge between Butler and its community by offering workshops to students in grades 3–12 that
will help them prepare for college.
• The Center for Urban Ecology collaborates with a wide range of environmental and sustainable
farming organizations to promote urban farming, organic farming, and environmental conservation.
In addition to working with Shortridge students, CUE also sponsors environmental-related
speakers for the Indianapolis community, assists other eco-organizations, such as Keep Indianapolis
Beautiful, and assists in a campus sustainability program, Butler Goes Green.
• The Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering maintains an ongoing outreach
program that allows students to assist community organizations in meeting their goals with the
use of software engineering and computer projects. The EPICS (Engineering Projects In Community
Service) program has been in existence since 2008, and participation is required for majors
and minors. The consultation is focused on computer applications, network management, program
design, etc. Organizations which have benefited from the service include the POLIS Center,
the Lutheran Center for Family Services, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, NuAfrica,
WFYI Public Radio/TV, Crispus Attucks High School, Oaks Academy, and the Indianapolis
Legal Aid Society.
• The Spanish program, within the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures,
has a longstanding service-learning component within its courses which allows students to
partner with Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). The goal is to increase Butler students’ fluency in
Spanish while fostering cultural awareness of the complex social issues surrounding Latino immigration
and education. The schools participating in the program are IPS 74, IPS High School
Crispus Attucks, IPS 60, IPS Northwest High School, IPS George Washington High School, and
Jonathan Jennings Elementary School. Students also volunteer at the Spanish Free Health Clinic
and assist IPS as interpreters on parent nights. Similar service-learning opportunities to get a better
understanding of German and the German culture are also available.
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