The Service Learning Academy has been rebranded as WolfPack Volunteers. 

The new name has not brought about any changes to program expectations. The change has been made in the hopes that new students coming into the program will not have any confusion about expecting to earn course credit for participating.  

“I’m excited about the new name,” says Brianna Stapleton Welch, a student program advisor in the volunteer center. “I think it aligns nicely with the WolfPack brand throughout other areas of Madison College.”   

WolfPack Volunteers is a semester-long program in which students enrolled in degree-credit classes commit to volunteering for two hours every week at the same volunteer site for 10 weeks. Any student enrolled at Madison College is eligible to participate. 

“The purpose of the program is to connect and expose students to the variety of long-term volunteering opportunities in the area and to promote community involvement around campus,” says Deborah Moreno Gonzalez, a student lead. 

At most other colleges and universities, the term “service learning” refers to volunteering or service that is built into a for-credit course. 

That wasn’t the case for Service Learning Academy. It was not related to a class and students do not earn course credit for the program so the program name was leading to some confusion.   

Due to the amount of confusion the name was generating, The student WolfPack Volunteers coordinator suggested a rebranding of the program in fall of 2019. The idea was based on feedback that had been received from students. 

In spring of 2020, the rebranding process was included in the 3 year plan the Volunteer Center presented to the Student Activities Board. 

The process of rebranding the Service Learning Academy was student-led. It consisted of focus groups, which the service learning academy coordinator facilitated, to get feedback from students who had volunteered as part of the program. 

These focus groups generated different program name ideas, and eventually settled on the name WolfPack Volunteers, with Volunteer Center board input. 

The sign-up deadline for students to get involved this semester has passed. Students who are interested in getting involved should look for the program’s promotion during the first weeks of the spring semester. 

“There are still ways in which students can get involved in community service through one-time events hosted by the Volunteer Center throughout the semester,” says Gonzalez. 

More information about WolfPack Volunteers can be found in the Volunteer Center. Information can also be found online, on the Volunteer Center page of Madison College website. Promotions will also be posted on WolfPack Connect.