Students at Waterfront Elementary School, Futures Academy, East High School, and Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts are served by the Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) for the purposes of dropout prevention. Staff have engaged at-risk students in grades 5-12 with research-based interventions, including growth mindset/brainology and student success skills curricula, both designed to bolster students’ soft skills and increase academic achievement. As a result of these multifaceted interventions, overall GPAs and standardized test scores have increased, and students’ levels of risk, in terms of dropout, have also decreased across the board. As a partner with Buffalo Public Schools, LPP has established a pronounced and effective presence in the schools and continues to connect students to resources available at UB.
Archives
Alternative Spring Break
In spring 2015 the University at Buffalo Honors College participated in an Alternative Spring Break trip to the Dominican Republic. Students worked with a nonprofit organization called Outreach360, whose vision is to “transform the world so that every child is able to pursue a college degree or to be gainfully employed upon reaching adulthood, enabling them with a life of choice.” The experience is congruent with the Honors College mission of fostering leadership, global perspectives and civic engagement. While in the Dominican Republic, students taught English to disadvantaged children. Participants were given a once-in-a-lifetime chance at leadership development and cultural immersion.
Honors College Sophomore Civic Engagement Practicum II
This one-credit graded course is intended for Honors College sophomores participating in the Greiner Hall Special Interest Housing (SIH) and will be applied towards their honors experiences. Through team building exercises, guest speakers, reflective responses and community service, students will embark on a journey of self-discovery and learn more about themselves and the many options ahead of them in their next two years of college and beyond.
Honors College Sophomore Civic Engagement Practicum I
This one-credit pass/fail course is intended for Honors College sophomores participating in the Greiner Hall Special Interest Housing (SIH). Over the course of the semester, our goal is to deepen students’ thoughtful appreciation of community service and to foster their continued commitment to civic engagement. We also aim to cultivate a sense of community amongst second-year honors scholars through their shared service, monthly meetings and social events in Greiner Hall.
Freshman Honors Colloquium
HON 102 is a two-credit service-learning course required by all freshmen honors scholars in their first semester. All students in the course perform 25 hours of service during the fall semester.
Community Development in Context: Mara Region, Tanzania
Through this winter session study abroad course, students travel to the Mara Region of Tanzania to explore community development through a number of interconnected lenses including education, health, economics and infrastructure. By visiting community sites and engaging closely with Tanzanian partners (including leaders, students and members of the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa), students will explore the complexities of community development while gaining insights into their own cultures and communities.
Service-Learning in the Buffalo Public Schools
Students from the Academies support the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Partnership (ISEP) and National Science Foundation (NSF) grant-funded initiative.
ReTree the District
Experiential learning experience for students in the Undergraduate Academies in support of the University Heights Tool Library and University Heights Collaborative initiative to improve the neighborhood through the reinvestment in the urban tree canopy. Additional location: University Heights District