Program in Leadership and Community Service
Located in Wiggs Hall
The Program in Leadership and Community Service recognizes that an understanding of oneself and one's world is enhanced when active involvement in community issues is combined with critical reflection, and that service is both a responsibility and an opportunity for leadership development. It is a trans-disciplinary program that enhances traditional liberal learning through supervised and extensive periods of public and community service.
Students serve here and abroad with community organizations on projects designed to enhance the common good, or with individuals and families to help them solve particular problems. In so doing, each participant becomes a part of a service-learning community designed to strengthen inclusive human communities, meet individual needs, promote intercultural literacy and enhance the development of students as leaders, citizens and neighbors.
Major and Concentration
The Program in Leadership and Community Service, located within the College of Liberal Arts, is a multi-disciplinary concentration that can be used as a major. Students must complete a 12-course program in order to earn a Program in Leadership and Community Service concentration. Most courses use service-learning experiences that are performed either in the community or abroad.
AmeriCorps
The Program in Leadership and Community Service offers students the opportunity to participate in the federal AmeriCorps program. AmeriCorps has been described as the domestic Peace Corps. Students who join this Corps serve as tutors, teachers, performers, artists, museum educators, accountants, public relations assistants and more in the Georgia Children's Museum, located in downtown Macon. AmeriCorps members receive a living allowance each month that ranges between $350 and $650. They also receive an educational scholarship that ranges between $2,300 and $4,800 when they finish a year of service.
The Georgia Children's Museum
The Georgia Children's Museum is managed by the staff of AmeriCorps and the PLS director. The museum allows students to set up educational activities for elementary school-aged children and their parents. Students can also participate in arts-intensive after-school and summer camp programs.
Service-learning Opportunities
Program in Leadership and Community Service is Mercer's premier service-learning program. It offers service-learning experiences to students regardless of major. The program provides service opportunities in business and accounting, theatre and art, regular and special education, engineering, multi-cultural awareness, children's television production and more.