UWA volunteers to get credits
University of WA students will get credit towards their academic record for community service work at a new citizenship centre that will match volunteers with organisations that need them.
The McCusker Charitable Foundation will tonight announce it will contribute $5 million to create the "centre for citizenship", the first of its kind in Australia, as part of UWA's "new century" fundraising campaign.
Former WA governor Malcolm McCusker, one of the foundation's four trustees, said the accreditation volunteers would be able to put towards their degree provided an extra incentive to give back to their community.
Students already get a mention on their academic transcript for voluntary work, but from next year they will be able to get six credit points towards their degree.
Tonya McCusker said all four trustees of the foundation - Mr McCusker, his sister Carolyn McCusker, Justice James Edelman and herself - were UWA law graduates who wanted to give back to the institution.
The proposal to establish the centre, submitted by UWA guild student service learning co-ordinator Aden Date, fitted their aims.
Mrs McCusker said the centre, to be modelled on the Haas Centre for Public Service at Stanford University in the US, would enhance the volunteering already taking place at UWA.
"The idea is that the students will get it into their systems here at UWA and then go and continue, once they become an engineer or a doctor or whatever it might be," she said.
"Volunteering is happening already, but this is an opportunity to lift it to that next level."
Mr Date said the centre for citizenship would "supercharge" existing connections between the university, student guild, Volunteering WA and the not-for-profit sector.
"The idea being when you start here in first year you've got an opportunity to be involved in the community, giving back, right away," he said.
Students would provide specialised support for not-for-profit organisations based on their study area, gaining practical experience at the same time.
The centre will also provide seed funding and space to support students undertaking community projects and start-ups.
UWA graduates now working overseas would also provide internships for students to work with people in need.
