A donation from Rockford Construction will establish the West Side Service Projects Endowment. The endowment will enable engineering students and faculty in Grand Valley's Padnos College of Engineering and Computing to carry out projects that will benefit the neighborhood that borders the university's Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Those projects are aimed at building a sense of responsible citizenship and leadership in engineering students.
Professor Shirley Fleischmann has led the charge toward encouraging service learning. Previous projects have included:
- Bikes for Kids, where engineering students refurbish old bicycles and give them to needy children
- A long-standing partnership with Sibley Elementary in which students spend time working on projects with university students
- Working on a new floor for Loaves and Fishes, a local food-bank associated with The Other Way Ministries
- Building a sandbox and playroom for the Women and Childrens Center of Mel Trotter Ministries
"In engineering we teach the language of design using the precision of mathematics as well as concepts from many areas of engineering and applied science," Fleischmann said. "With community service, we hope to teach students the language of the heart and of the soul in order to complete their preparation to enter the engineering profession as responsible citizens and accomplished engineers. The neighborhood bordering the Pew Campus has many needs that can effectively be met with an engineering approach, however such needs are seldom presented in the way that textbook problems are presented. Students must learn to see the needs of people who are different from them -- and to see those needs with both their intellect and their heart."
