SU's Heim Wins Spirit of Democracy Award

By SU Public Relations

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University students are civically engaged, and Sara Heim, assistant director of the ShoreCorps AmeriCorps program at SU, helps put them in a position to make a difference.

With the rapid growth of SU’s AmeriCorps roster in recent years, Heim was honored with the American Democracy Project’s Spirit of Democracy Award.

In just five years, SU’s AmeriCorps participation has risen from 20 students to more than 200 – the largest AmeriCorps program in Maryland – and while her name is on the award, Heim is quick to mention the accolade is about the entire Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE) team, led by Dr. Sandy Pope, the University and the students.

“Under Dr. Pope’s direction, PACE has formed partnerships on campus that have allowed us to increase the size of AmeriCorps program so that more students can benefit,” said Heim. “It really helps that the University has civic engagement as one of the goals within its strategic plan. There’s a lot of University support, not only from the highest level, but also from faculty, staff and students. We wouldn’t be this successful without student interest.”

Many of the AmeriCorps students are already doing work in the community for their majors. Heim has worked to streamline the process for them and their departments to benefit from AmeriCorps.

“We help students who are doing field placements in non-profit or government agencies and can also use those hours toward AmeriCorps service,” she said. “So really, we’re lifting up and highlighting what they’re already doing out in the community and giving them access to AmeriCorps programming and AmeriCorps funds.”

Heim and AmeriCorps Program Specialist Judy McClure began a pilot program with 15 SU social work students five years ago. Due to its success, the School of Social Work now sponsors 70 students per year in the AmeriCorps program, which not only benefits the students, but also SU, where students can choose to use some of their academic financial award on tuition.

“It is a significant benefit to the students because they receive educational award money, and then that money often comes back into SU,” said Heim. “The students have a choice for where they want to use that educational award money; they don’t have to use it here, but most do. This past year, $50,000 of educational award money from AmeriCorps was used here at SU.

Other collaborations across campus include students from all disciplines, including those enrolled in the Fraud and Forensic Accounting Certificate program in the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business, education majors in the Samuel W. and Marilyn C. Seidel School of Education, and more.

“I believe that students truly do want to be involved in civic engagement work,” said Heim. “I think this generation is very involved and aware of issues, and wants to give back and wants to see change made. And a way to make change is to be directly involved. We give them opportunities to be directly involved in the local community with non-profit or government organizations on the shore.”

To learn more about AmeriCorps at SU, visit the ShoreCorps webpage.

Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at www.salisbury.edu.