The Minerva Awards at USAO provide public recognition for outstanding students at USAO, honoring excellence in academics, community service, campus involvement and others areas. They are awarded to students who go above and beyond the ordinary expectations of USAO students, and as we raise our standards as an institution, it becomes all the more important to recognize students who excel.

The Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Award is given to students who demonstrate a strong commitment to the goals of service-learning: to integrate the learning objectives of a course with related hands-on experience in the community. Each year the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Award is given to students who not only seek out and participate in the service-learning courses across the USAO curriculum, but also create and lead independent group service-learning and civic engagement (SLCE) projects, bringing the benefits of service-learning to their fellow classmates.

To be eligible for the award, students must have completed at least four terms at USAO, and have a minimum 2.5 GPA at the time of application.  Students should also submit two letters of recommendation from faculty (for course components) and/or Community Partners (for independent projects.)

Use the form below to provide basic information about the four most outstanding SLCE projects you’ve participated in, including a brief summary (100-150 words) describing your activities and the ways in which your service was related to specific academic learning objectives. Information about additional projects should be included in your SLCE portfolio. Projects are evaluated on both the impact they have in the community, the degree to which the activities relate to academic objectives, and their effective organization and implementation. At least one project should involve other students with you as the team leader.

The SLCE Protfolio: Along with basic information provided below, upload your SLCE Portfolio (described in greater detail below) as a PDF file. The SLCE Coordinator will assist in compiling copies of letters, photographs, and other materials into a single digital document.  The SLCE Portfolio should include the following:

• Original SLCE project proposals
• Written evaluations or notes of appreciation from each SLCE Community Partner or sponsoring faculty member
• Project assignments (such as reflection essays, journals and reports)
• Other related materials (such as photos, media coverage and event materials)