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Research Report 7
By Jay W. Brandenberger, Andrea Smith Shappell, and Thomas A. Trozzolo
Research Report Series
PDF Version
May 2004
Introduction
During Commencement Weekend at Notre Dame, approximately 200 graduating seniors
participate in a send-off ceremony honoring their commitment to full-time,
postgraduate service for the coming year or two. A highlight of the ceremony
is a procession of students to the microphone where they share their name,
affiliated program, and location of service. This litany of commitment has
grown significantly since Notre Dame’s first postgraduate service relationship
with the Peace Corps in the 1960s. In 1978 the Congregation of Holy Cross
initiated the Holy Cross Associates program, and in 1994 the Alliance for
Catholic Education was founded on campus.
Currently, about 10% of each graduating class at Notre Dame (see Figure 1) enters a range of full-time service initiatives at over 100 sites across the nation and world. The graduates are fulfilling, in concrete ways, the University mission to foster “learning [that] becomes service to justice” (University Mission Statement).
Who volunteers, and why? This Report examines historical participation rates, notes trends in postgraduate service, and analyzes how participants differ from non-participants. We have drawn data from various sources, including surveys facilitated by the Center for Social Concerns and the Office of Institutional Research.
Developmental Context
The college journey is one of challenge and potential. Students of traditional
college age, while negotiating both new freedoms and responsibilities,
feel the potentials and callings of young adulthood, and search for something
of
enduring value worthy of their commitment.
A call for the provision of meaningful service for young adults is not new. Early in the 20th century, William James outlined a vision (1910) for promoting the “moral equivalent of war” among young adults. As an alternative to military conscription, James proposed enlisting youth in challenging community efforts to promote justice while enhancing their own growth: “The military ideals of hardihood and discipline would be wrought into the growing fibre of the people” (pp. 24-25) without dependence on war-based stimulation or adventure. Similar educational visions were inherent in early conceptions of the Peace Corps (originally conceptualized as an additional fourth year among five college years).
The work of Sharon Parks (1986, 2000) emphasizes the critical role the
college years can play in fostering a search for meaning and commitment.
All persons,
especially young adults, seek to understand the larger world, examine
their potential roles, and discover what may be worthy of their time
and talents.
Parks describes this as a search for faith, with a small f (though
for many it involves identified religious conviction). This is an active
process involving
both cognitive and affective change: “A central strength of the young
adult is the capacity to respond to visions of the world as it might become.
This is the time in every generation for renewal of the human vision.” (Parks,
1986, p. 97)
Similarly, college life and the early adult years are salient periods for identity development. Chickering and Reisser (1993) outline the potential for higher education to foster competence, purpose, and integrity (among other positive aspects of identity). They suggest that “Finding meaning in life is a by-product of engagement, which is a commitment to creating, loving, working, and building.” (p. 264)
Commencement (aptly named) is, then, an opportunity for channeling one’s developing identity and sense of purpose into initial commitments. Postgraduate service can serve as a natural continuation of important developmental and educational paths.
Historical Trends
While Notre Dame graduates have found many ways to serve throughout
the years, data regarding postgraduate volunteer trends is most
thorough
and reliable
beginning in the 1990s. Figure 1, based on Center for Social Concerns’ records,
documents the number of confirmed postgraduate volunteers (serving
full-time for at least 10 months beyond graduation) over the last 15
years. It
demonstrates an 80% increase from 1990 to 2003 (though records for
earlier years may
involve some undercounting).
Similar data is presented in Figure 2 (based on the University’s Future Plans Survey conducted the week before Commencement), which outlines service in relation to other planned pursuits of graduates. Again we see an increase (this survey measures the intention to volunteer) from 2.8% of graduates in 1985 to 10.7% in 2003.
There are many potential explanations for the long-term increase: modeling of returning graduates who share positive experiences; earlier and more direct recruitment by an increased number of affiliated programs; the creation of teaching programs (like the Alliance for Catholic Education) that attract an increasing number of participants; and the commitment of the Center for Social Concerns to foster discernment through a Senior Transitions Coordinator and an annual postgraduate service fair.
The percentage of volunteers does not seem to ebb and flow with job market conditions (see Figures 1 and 2), suggesting that other factors are at work in attracting graduates. For the past 10 years the percentage of Notre Dame students committing to service has remained near 10% of the graduating class. We are not aware of such a high rate of participation at other colleges and universities (though an increasing number place students in postgraduate programs). Notre Dame has developed an ethic of service that extends beyond graduation.
Secular and Faith-Based Opportunities
Notre Dame students enter full-time programs facilitated by a variety of service
organizations, both faith-based and secular. Some of the more popular secular
initiatives include the Peace Corps and Teach for America, as well as AmeriCorps,
ACCION International, the Emerson Hunger Fellowship, and the Public Interest
Research Group (the two later programs provide opportunities for policy studies
and community organizing).
Consistent with Notre Dame’s Catholic identity, approximately 75%
of graduates choose to enter faith-based programs (for more information,
consult
the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service, an umbrella organization
for over 200 faith-based programs: http://cnvs.org).
The tenets of such programs usually include living in community, simple lifestyle,
and integrating faith
reflection
with service experiences. Two such programs, headquartered on the Notre
Dame campus, are the Holy Cross Associates and the Alliance for Catholic
Education.
Holy Cross Associates
Holy Cross Associates (see Figure 1) provides an opportunity for Notre
Dame graduates to serve in collaboration with Notre Dame’s
founding religious order, The Congregation of Holy Cross. Since the
initial 5
volunteers in
1978, over 480 Notre Dame graduates have entered the progam. HCA
now draws from many
colleges, and offers opportunities in the U.S. and Latin America
for one or two years of service in parishes, agencies, and communities.
A 1995 follow-up survey by the HCA office provides a starting point
for future research examining the impact of postgraduate service.
A majority
of prior
participants were in careers focusing on education or social service.
Two survey items are of particular interest: Over 79% of the respondents
agreed
that “Participation
in HCA was one of the most significant formative experiences in developing
my faith,” and approximately 72% of the respondents agreed that participation “was
one of the most significant formative experiences in developing my vocation.” Contact
the HCA office for further information (www.nd.edu/~hcassoc).
ACE: Teaching as Service and Learning
The Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), founded in 1994, accounts
for approximately a quarter of Notre Dame graduates who commit to
service programs
in recent
years (see Figure 1). ACE brought a new model as a teaching program,
incorporating a master’s degree (now offered by Notre Dame’s
Institute for Educational Initiatives). Participants (see Figure
1) teach for two academic
years in under-resourced
Catholic schools located in over 50 cities, and attend intensive
summer courses. Since 1994, over 500 Notre Dame graduates have entered
ACE.
Other teaching-based
programs that draw Notre Dame graduates include the Inner-City Teaching
Corps, Maryknoll China Teaching Program, the New York Teacher Service
Program, and
Red Cloud Volunteers.
Domestic and International Programs
While a majority of graduates participate in domestic initiatives,
about 20 percent serve internationally, often for a two-year period
(see Figure 1).
Some observers may be surprised to see that the percentage of international
volunteers since the events of 9/11 has risen to all time highs in
2002 and 2003 (27% and 25% respectively). Perhaps such commitment to
build conditions
of peace throughout the world is a positive response to a sobering
challenge.
ND in the Peace Corps
Through Fr. Theodore Hesburgh’s initiative, Notre Dame was one
of the few non-governmental organizations involved in the founding
of the
Peace
Corps, and sent volunteers from the start. From 1961 through 2003
a total of 755 graduates
of Notre Dame have entered the Peace Corps, an average of seventeen
per year, and more than any other Catholic college or university.
Who Serves
What prompts students to serve full-time following graduation? The
following analyses allow us to make some observations and predictions.
Gender
Figure 3 demonstrates a relatively stable pattern of participation
with respect to gender: 60% females, 40% males. Such a trend is consistent
with national
data, and with greater female participation in service and community-based
learning initiatives during the undergraduate years (see Research Report
5). Male postgraduate volunteer participation is higher in international
programs,
and in teaching programs.
College
Figure 4 presents a measure of postgraduate service intentions by college
(measured during late spring by the Future Plans Survey). The College
of Arts and Letters
shows the highest percentage intending to serve full-time, followed
by the College of Science, then the College of Engineering. Further
information on
rates for specific majors is available from the Center for Social Concerns.
Previous Service Experience
Anecdotal evidence and interviews suggest to us that previous service
and service-learning engagement primes students to choose more
intensive service
upon graduation.
To examine this empirically, we utilized two large data sets.
A study of two ND graduating cohorts (see Figure 5) revealed a strong
relationship
between frequency of undergraduate service and specific plans
to serve full-time
following
graduation (p<.05). Similarly, those who planned to volunteer more often
cited previous service and social action experiences as the strongest influence
(among five potential influences presented) on their “thinking about
faith and morals” (p<.05). Further, in an analysis done in 2001, 32%
of confirmed postgraduate volunteers had completed a Center for Social Concerns
Summer Service Project Internship, and 39% had participated in one or more
service learning seminars offered by the Center. Levine and Cureton (1998)
note that while many undergraduates are involved in service and social action, “They
also need to find ways to sustain or better yet, enhance their sense of hope,
responsibility, appreciation of differences, and efficacy after college.” (p.
167)
Attitudes and Values Associated with Postgraduate Service
To further examine what prompts postgraduate service, we drew
from the Notre Dame Student Life Survey, a broad sample of
698 Notre Dame
sophomores, juniors,
and seniors. Participants were asked (in 1998) about postgraduate
plans: 9.9% overall, and 10.1% of seniors indicated intention
to volunteer
upon graduation,
consistent with actual trends. We then performed a logistic
regression and chi-square analyses to examine which variables in the survey
would predict
or explain such intention. Here we highlight a few of the most
relevant results (most significant at the .01 level).
Students who more highly rated the life goal “being well off financially” were less likely to express intention to volunteer, as were those who gave themselves higher ratings with respect to the skill of “thinking about the future,” thus confirming some parents’ concerns. Similarly, students who ranked “that a Notre Dame degree will get me a good job” as more important than other students (in the context of important attributes of Notre Dame) were less likely to plan postgraduate service.
Conversely, students who agreed that “I feel that I have a personal role to play in efforts aimed at the betterment of humankind” were more likely to plan postgraduate service. Note as well that students who suggested that their motivations for current, undergraduate volunteering were “To test out future career plans” or “To learn how to be effective in the area of social change” were more likely to intend postgraduate service”. Finally, students who planned to serve after graduation were less likely to agree with the statement: “Realistically, an individual can do little to bring about changes in society.”
Such findings seem logical, and suggest that the intention
to serve coheres within a larger frame of students’ sense of self,
meaning, and purpose.
Life Goals
To provide context for the overall study, and to highlight
that there are many ways to contribute, here we provide information
on Notre
Dame students’ overall
life goals (as measured by a national study facilitated by the Higher Education
Research Institute). Figure 6 presents the life goals ranked most important (from
a list of 20 goals) by entering Notre Dame students since 1991, and recent comparisons
to a norm group composed of other private, selective universities. The two most
important goals of Notre Dame students—"raising a family" and "helping
others in difficulty"—have remained the same since 1994. Students
from comparison schools also highly ranked these values, while indicating greater
importance for "being very well off financially," and less for "integrating
spirituality into my life".
While data cited above is for first year students, an analysis
of our ND Student Life Survey (1999, n=698) shows a similar
pattern for sophomores,
juniors, and
seniors, with some increases for goals associated with social
action. Another study (What Matters at Notre Dame?, IR Report
94-01) suggests
that service work
is associated with (or predictive of) significant changes
in life goals. These are topics for future research.
Discussion
How do we interpret the findings described above, and what can
we learn about, and from, the Notre Dame students who commit
to full-time service
upon graduation?
First, it is essential to note that postgraduate service is not
the only, or necessarily a preferred route for Notre Dame students
to contribute
their talents
and energies to the common good. Many graduates begin paid work
at nonprofit agencies, others embark on graduate school in the
helping professions,
and many enter their chosen careers determined to integrate what
they have learned about
ethics from faculty and mentors in their majors. Many seniors
(over 500 in 2004) sign a Pledge of Social Responsibility, committing
to explore
and enhance the
social, humanitarian and environmental consequences of jobs they
enter.
Second, both our survey data and interviews we have conducted
suggest that postgraduate service is not a direct function
of the job market,
or seniors needing to find
something to do on short notice. The intention to serve following
graduation shows up early, and at about the same rate as
the subsequent percent
of enrolled participants. Postgraduate volunteer work provides
excellent opportunities for
young adults, especially those in broad, less linear career
fields, to take significant responsibility and build upon their learning
in a human
laboratory of service
and civic life.
While females and students from the College of Arts and Letters constitute the largest group of volunteers, graduates of each college find relevant opportunities. Our interviews indicate that students may increasingly choose service engagement following graduation as a means to enhance specific skills consistent with their career goals.
The high percentage of Notre Dame students entering postgraduate service seems to be a natural extension of the University’s ethos of service and varied community-based learning offerings. As its graduates spread out in service and social action, they represent the University positively, performing “good work” where “excellence and ethics can meet” (Gardner et al., 2001). Such efforts, and what we learn from returning volunteers, contribute to a vision of the “university as citizen” outlined by Notre Dame President Edward Malloy and colleagues (Bringle, Games, and Malloy, 1999).
Future Research
Many further research questions intrigue us. What are the roles
of parents, faculty, and peers with respect to students' intention
to volunteer?
How do students understand
the call of vocation, broadly conceived? And, importantly: What
is the impact of postgraduate volunteering on young adults and
their career/life
development?
We have begun short-term and longitudinal research toward such
ends, and welcome collaboration from interested colleagues and
input from alumni/ae.
References
Bringle, R. G., Games, R., & Malloy, E. A. (Eds.). (1999). Colleges
and Universities as Citizens. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Chickering, A. W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education
and Identity (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Gardner, H., Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Damon, W. (2001).
Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics
Meet. New York: Basic
Books.
James, W. (1910). The Moral Equivalent of War. Peace
and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 1(1), 17-26. (journal published
in 1995)
Joslyn, H. (2002). How Colleges Prepare Seniors for Postgraduate
Volunteerism. The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Levine, A. and J. S. Cureton (1998). When Hope and
Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today’s College Student. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Parks, S. (1986). The Critical Years: The Young
Adult Search for a Faith to Live By. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
Parks, S. (2000). Big Questions, Worthy Dreams:
Mentoring Young Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Faith. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
