PUBLIC SERVICE

There are many community and public service opportunities available to Harvard students through the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) and the Public Service Network (PSN). These activities are designed to

• deliver needed services to the community
• get students involved with neighborhoods outside of Harvard Yard
• provide leadership opportunities for students
• offer undergraduates the opportunity to explore the field of public interest careers through internships and fellowships
• foster social responsibility within the College community
• encourage collaboration with students and faculty

The century-old Phillips Brooks House (PBH) in the northwest corner of Harvard Yard is home to PBHA and PSN and the many programs that are a part of each (see below). The House also provides staff support to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Committee on Public Service, a faculty and student committee that provides oversight of all undergraduate public service activities. Various funding opportunities, including the President's Public Service Fund and the COOP Public Service Grants, are available to all public service groups through a competitive application process and administered by the House.

Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA)
Gene Corbin, Executive Director
Phillips Brooks House, Harvard Yard
corbin@fas.harvard.edu, 617-495-8851
www.pbha.org

The Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA), the largest public service organization at Harvard, has been serving the Boston and Cambridge communities for over 100 years. Both a separate non-profit and a Harvard student organization, PBHA is governed by the student membership and supported by professional staff. More than 1,500 students actively volunteer in 73 programs encompassing after- and in-school programs; mentoring; adult education; elderly and teen programs; housing construction; and social and legal advocacy. The programs range in intensity and focus, but are mostly community-based and are committed to on-going, continuous service, including year-round programming. During the summer, PBHA operates 12 intensive summer camps for children in the neighborhoods served during the term time. PBHA is strongly invested in a deep level of community partnership for direction, integrity of programming, and resource support.

Often referred to as "the best course at Harvard" PBHA is also dedicated to the student mentorship and learning experience. The Stride Rite Community Service Program, administered through PBHA, provides financial support to Federal Work-Study eligible students along with opportunities for professional and personal development. There are also numerous opportunities, such as the Big Question, through which students can discuss and learn about social justice issues. Additional reflection and training, based in peer sharing and best practices, are provided through the Cabinet, the student membership body.

Public Service Network
Amanda Sonis Glynn, Director
Phillips Brooks House, Harvard Yard
asglynn@fas.harvard.edu, 617-496-8622
www.fas.harvard.edu/~pbh
Listserv: publicservice-list@fas.harvard.edu

The Public Service Network (PSN) serves as a coordinating and support organization for approximately 40 independent public service groups on campus, including HAND (The House and Neighborhood Development Program), as well as a resource for individual students, faculty, and staff. PSN provides student advising, publishes a directory of public service organizations and an annual report, conducts workshops and speaker panels, and manages a website and a listserv.

PSN works closely with PBHA staff and students to host trainings and speakers for all volunteers and to create forums and other events that broaden campus exposure to issues concerning public service.

The Center for Public Interest Careers at Harvard College (CPIC)
Amanda Sonis Glynn, Coordinator
asglynn@fas.harvard.edu, 617-496-8622
www.cpic.fas.harvard.edu
cpic@fas.harvard.edu

The Center for Public Interest Careers (CPIC) flagship program matches undergraduates and recent graduates with paid summer and post-graduate year-long positions in non-profit organizations in Boston, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, and San Francisco. The CPIC Fund for Service Internship (FSI) Program, funded by the Heckscher Foundation for Children, matches students with summer internship opportunities in child advocacy organizations in New York and provides a stipend and housing. CPIC also administers four additional grant opportunities for undergraduates. The Harvard Clubs Summer Community Service Fellowship, offered by Harvard Clubs in select cities across the US, provides funding for students to work in a non-profit organization in the city of the sponsoring Harvard Club. CPIC works closely with the Harvard Alumni Association to administer this program; applications are due in mid-March. The Arthur Liman Public Interest Law Fellowship provides funding for undergraduates working in unpaid public interest legal positions over the summer; applications are due in February. The Steamboat Scholar Program, a program of the Steamboat Foundation, provides one Harvard junior with a generous stipend to work at Facing History and Ourselves over the summer. The Summer Work Study Awards for Public Service are also available through CPIC. Students who are work-study eligible can apply to receive work-study funding to work at a non-profit organization of their choice. Applications are available in April and due on a rolling basis throughout May on a first-come first-served basis until the funding is depleted.

Public Service Program

The OCS Public Service Program supports student involvement in work for the public good. For more information, see page 498.