University committed to making
life better for young people

Promise Profile
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By Amy Neil
Public Information

The University has taken steps to broaden and extend its outreach to young people by signing a letter of commitment with America's Promise -- The Alliance for Youth, to become a University of Promise.

"The University has always offered many services to the youth of Pennsylvania, but this partnership with America's Promise will help us to better focus and expand our efforts to nurture and develop our young people," said President Graham B. Spanier.

America's Promise, a nonprofit organization championed by Colin Powell, was founded at the historic Presidents' Summit for America's Future in April 1997, when former Presidents Clinton, Bush, Carter and Ford challenged the nation to make youth a national priority and commit to a united effort to fulfill the Five Promises To Young People, which are:

* Caring adults: Ongoing relationships with caring adults -- parents, mentors, tutors or coaches;

* Safe places: Safe places with structured activities during nonschool hours;

* Healthy start: Healthy start and future;

* Marketable skills: Marketable skills through effective education; and

* Opportunities to serve: Opportunities to give back through community service.

"We recognize that youth are a critical part of Penn State's efforts for 'Making Life Better' for Pennsylvanians, and indeed the nation and global community," said Spanier. "This commitment reflects our responsibility to use our educational resources to improve the lives of young people."

To fulfill its promise -- "Making Life Better for Youth" -- the University will promote collaborative and coordinated ventures and increase the overall impact of its children- and youth-focused programs and services.

Penn State is the largest university to make the commitment to America's Promise and it also will be the first university or college in the nation to have a Promise Station, an Internet-based "gathering place" where the University community can share information, ideas, events and other resources supporting youth in the communities surrounding their campuses.

Over the next two years, the University will complete a resource assessment to document all outreach programs and service activities currently in place across the University that fulfill one or all five of the promises. This information will be housed on Penn State's Promise Station -- http://www.pennstatespromise.org -- a centralized online database of all University outreach activities, including service programs, service learning classes, research pertinent to youth development, physical and medical resources, cultural and academic offerings, and opportunities for students to work in community positions.

"Joining America's Promise is a natural outgrowth of the University's extensive network of services to youth," said James H. Ryan, vice president for outreach and cooperative extension. "Penn State has a century-long mission and tradition of providing high-quality programs designed to enrich the lives, abilities and experiences of our young people. By marshaling the University's resources and intellectual expertise in support of America's Promise, we will significantly enhance the lives of both the children and the adults who work to fulfill the promises we have made to our youth."

In addition, each Penn State campus will have a "page" on the Promise Station so that people in the communities served by a campus will be able to search for youth programs by location, program type or by ZIP code.

"Being a University of Promise is an opportunity for Penn State to bring together its resources -- our teaching resources, research and the energy of students -- and focus those strengths upon the concerns of community and the five promises that we know are so important to children and youth," said Arthur Carter, assistant vice president for Student Affairs.

Penn State has a long-established presence for providing quality, youth-centered programs and services, which involves hundreds of programs at its 24 campuses as well as its outreach extension offices, located in all 67 counties in Pennsylvania. Students, faculty and staff are engaged in countless activities that bridge across the University's colleges and campuses and impact the quality of life for youth, such as 4-H youth development; academic and athletic camps; the Children, Youth, and Families Consortium (CYFC); and Penn State's TRIO programs.

According to Eva Pell, vice president for research and dean of The Graduate School, the University of Promise initiative will not necessitate new initiatives on the part of Penn State.

"The multiplicity of programs currently in place to serve Pennsylvania's young people is perhaps the most compelling reason for supporting this concept," she said. "I anticipate that our role as a University of Promise will not only benefit thousands of children in Pennsylvania, but also promote collaborative ventures and increase the overall impact of our children- and youth-focused programs and services."

Keith Aronson, assistant director of the CYFC said his department fully endorses and supports any collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing university-community partnerships.

"We are particularly excited about the opportunity to build collaborations with faculty to expand and further understand the impact that America's Promise has on Penn State stakeholders, identifying those factors that make volunteerism most meaningful to our students and most beneficial to the community."

Student involvement is one of the greatest benefits of being a University of Promise, according to Anthony Williams, Penn State's Promise coordinator.

"The Promise Station will allow students to search for volunteer opportunities by area of interest," said Williams. "It will give students the ability to search for volunteer opportunities at and around all Penn State campuses, share ideas and coordinate efforts, as well as ask for volunteers to help with their projects and programs."

Amy Neil can be reached at amyneil@psu.edu.

Get involved

All Penn State faculty and staff with programs meeting at least one of the five promises are encouraged to register their department, office or organization at http://www.pennstatespromise.org/register.cfm. Upon approval, an e-mail will be sent with directions on how to gain access to enter program information for inclusion on Penn State's Promise Station. For more information, contact Anthony Williams at axw176@sa.psu.edu or (814) 863-0521. Promise Station demonstrations will be given at the Sept. 14 Tailgreat in The Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus.