Uncw Otm Award Program Vice Chancellor For A Day

OTM Award Month and Year: February 2009 Nominee’s School: UNC Wilmington Region: SAACURH Category: Community Service Program of the Month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program Title: Vice Chancellor for a Day Person in Charge: NRHH Nominator: Scott Busiel Address: 601 S. College Road Address: 601 S. College Road Phone: Phone: 910-962-5821 E-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On-Campus Population: 3,100 Chapter Size: 31 Target Population for Program: 3,100 Attendance: N/A Number of People to Organize: 6 Time Needed to Organize: 1 month Date of Program: February 15-19, 2009 Cost of Program: $100.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program Description: Vice Chancellor for a Day was a program that began in 2008 in order to promote NRHH as an organization and to provide a successful food drive on campus. This is a week-long event, where students, faculty, and staff can donate canned foods to a local food pantry in Wilmington. NRHH really wanted to encourage students to help think about others before themselves, especially during the cool winter months. Before the program began, our executive board sat down and began planning where on campus we would like to collect the non-perishable food items. We wanted to get the entire NRHH general body involved, and we really wanted to be able to improve upon the success of our program last year. The executive board spoke with our Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, and she agreed to participate in the event once again this year. In essence, our Vice Chancellor would have one of our lucky students shadow her for a day. The following day, she would have an opportunity to shadow our student and get to know them on a one-on-one level. This was a great opportunity to help our local community and work with some of the upper administration at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Vice Chancellor Patricia Leonard agreed to have the shadow dates set at February 24th and 25th. All we needed now was some student charity and involvement. From Sunday through Thursday, we would have collection boxes set up in a variety of the residence halls on-campus. This would allow all students an opportunity to donate some non-

perishable goods to our local food pantry. The great thing was that each executive board member was responsible for one day of drop-off and collections, which allowed for more collaboration and teamwork. Students flocked at the opportunity to help those in less fortunate situations. We had around 20 students volunteer to work our tables and encourage students to participate. In the end, NRHH collected 232 canned food items! This is at least 50 cans more than last year. And for each canned donated, students were allowed to put one raffle ticket into a drawing. At the end of the week, we drew a name for the individual that got a chance to shadow our Vice Chancellor. NRHH’s very own Alissa Tripp was our lucky winner. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Program Origin: This community service program, Vice Chancellor for a Day, originated in 2008 within an NRHH Executive Board meeting. The idea came up to collected canned foods in order to work with and help out the local Wilmington community. This idea sparked so much interest from the general body that NRHH could not resist putting it on. We also wanted to be able to connect with some of the upper administration in the Division of Student Affairs at UNCW. This would be a great opportunity for us to get to know them, and for them to get to know us a little better. Vice Chancellor Patricia Leonard is a huge advocate for community service and recognition, which helped when we had asked her if she was interested in participating. She jumped on the idea and only great things came of the program. In 2009, we brought the program back into the residence halls and asked for more participation from the NRHH general body. This made working the tables a lot easier, as greater numbers of students were interested in helping this great cause. We were proud to carry on this noble tradition at UNCW. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Goals of Program: Last year, NRHH really wanted to reach out to a wide variety of students. We set up booths, tables, and collection boxes in our Campus Activities and Involvement Center and within our Student Union. These did not receive as much attention as we had originally hoped. This year, we really wanted to bring the food drive back to the residence halls. All of the collection sites were in residence halls, and we were really able to interact more with the students. NRHH also wanted to connect more with our upper administration, so we asked Vice Chancellor Patricia Leonard to participate again. She was excited about the opportunity to get a chance to meet students who were interested in serving our

community. The executive board also wanted to get more student involvement from the general body. Our Vice President of Administration was persistent about sending out the sign-up lists in order to get much needed participation from our body members. This event was planned far in advance, and Vice Chancellor for a Day was not as rushed as it had been in the previous year. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Positive and Lasting Effects of Program: Vice Chancellor for a Day turned out to be a successful program that had many positive and lasting effects on the student body and upper administration. Overall, NRHH had collected an astounding 232 canned food items over the course of the week. Individuals had remembered this program from 2008, and many students were excited at the opportunity to meet and get to know our Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. This program has benefitted our local community, our student body, our organization, and UNCW as a whole. Our food pantry was so relieved to know that so many students are generous enough to give their time and energy to a cause like this. Students from UNCW understand the importance of community service and giving back to those less fortunate than ourselves. NRHH was able to get recognized as the organization that hosts this event every year. It also helped students learn a little more about what our organization does and how to get involved. And the Division of Student Affairs benefitted by having the chance to connect with some of the on-campus student body. They love the chance to interact with our students, and we helped in building relationships. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Short Evaluation of Program: With the success of last year’s program, we were a little worried about changing some of the concepts of Vice Chancellor for a Day. Needless to say, we did. And some of these changes had a large impact on the number of cans donated and our student involvement, in general. Through the week of collection, we were able to gather nearly 20 student volunteers to help in tabling efforts. NRHH collected 232 canned food items to help out local food pantry. This is a huge number, especially when we set the bar high last year with nearly 170 cans. The greatest reward came from seeing the on-campus students interested in donating to a cause. We never even mentioned the fact that they could have a chance to shadow our Vice Chancellor until after they donated. This was exciting to see that wasn’t their motive behind donating the food. As an organization, we were able to get our name out to the students at UNCW, and we were able to further develop relationships with our Division of Student Affairs. The Vice Chancellor loved the opportunity of meeting Alissa Tripp, and they both benefitted from their experiences.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How Could the Program Be Adapted to Other Campuses? Vice Chancellor for a Day can easily be adapted to other campuses. For one, it is an oncampus food drive. The executive board will need to find boxes to collect the canned foods. They will also need to clear the idea of tabling with some of the supervisors of the various residence halls. Most of the excitement comes through the advertising and the talking up of the program itself. Students love the opportunity to help various causes in the local community. Find a location off-campus that your organization can donate the canned goods. Even working with a community service department on-campus would be a great idea, as they could offer advice on programming and advice with off-campus organizations. The most important concept would be speaking with your upper administration on the possibility of having a student shadow them during a two-day period. Many administrators would jump on this opportunity, as they love to interact with students. Our Vice Chancellor loves the chance to speak with students on how to improve the quality of university life.