LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College has been selected as a partner for the Washington Campus Compact’s 2022-23 Civic Leadership and Engagement Corps (CLEC) Program, college officials have announced.
As part of the program, LC State will hire six AmeriCorps education fellows, who are current students, for various positions around campus, all with the focus of helping fellow students. The six students will receive a stipend that can be used on their current education or to further their education (post-graduate) within an eight-year period. Four of the positions are for 300 hours ($1,374.60 stipend) while the other two are for 450 hours ($1,718.25).
College officials submitted a grant proposal, which is funded by AmeriCorps. The CLEC program recognizes the power of campus-community partnerships to improve equity in Washington and Idaho through academic engagement and furthering college and career readiness for underrepresented students.
Three of the students will be part of the peer mentoring program at the college, helping with retention. This includes helping students connect to their advisors, tutors, and other resources they may need. It also includes help with registration and FAFSA and scholarship forms.
Two 450 hour positions will be in the Student Success Program, while one 300-hour position will be with the Learning Resource Center, which is a free resource for all students enrolled in a Career & Technical Education (CTE) program or course. The center’s goal is to help students make their study time more efficient and improve success in the classroom through free tutoring, access to a computer lab, CTE course specific computer programs, and hosting workshops that focus on student success.
The final two 300-hour positions will help with the Warrior Food Pantry, which is open to LC State students and employees as well as the general public. The two will serve as assistant coordinators and handle a variety of tasks, including staffing the pantry, stocking shelves and collecting donated food. The pantry also anticipates partnering with LC State’s hospitality program to show students how to prepare nutritious meals from the donated items.
As well as receiving an education award, four students – two majoring in business and two in social work – also will earn internship credits. Several programs at LC State require internships to earn a degree.
Traci Birdsell, senior director of LC State’s Educational Opportunity Grant Programs, applied for the grant. She said this is a great way for students to be involved with their education.
“It provides students with hands-on ways to connect education to work,” she said. “That’s what we are all about.”
To learn more about LC State’s involvement with the Civic Leadership and Engagement Corps program, contact Birdsell at either tbirdsel@lcsc.edu or call 208-792-2848.