Fostering a culture of civic engagement is a core value of the Baruch Honors Program. Students volunteer their time and energy to organizations whose mission is to serve and strengthen the community. Engagement in community service broadens and deepens students’ understanding of the complex social and economic realities of American society. It strengthens their understanding of citizenship in a democratic society.
*COVID-19 update: Currently, students can volunteer in-person or virtually. Feel free to review the list below that Honors staff have compiled if you would prefer to participate in service online. The list is not comprehensive; students can explore additional opportunities and should confirm with their Honors Advisor if the activity is eligible for service credit.
- Support students in becoming active citizens within their respective communities
- Expose students to the wide array of service opportunities
- Engage students in longer-term relationships with organizations, where it becomes possible to understand the impact on the work conducted
- Foster reflective learning about one’s self and the society within which one lives
- MHC List of Community Service Opportunities
- Baruch Student Life Community Service Resources
- New York Cares
- Volunteer New York
- YMCA
- American Red Cross
- American Cancer Society
- Brooklyn Public Library
- The Smithsonian Institute
- United Nations
- TED Translate
- NASA
- Amnesty International
- Translators Without Borders
- National Park Service
- Crisis Text Line
- NYC Service
- The Bowery Mission
- Bookshare
- Volunteer Match
- Learn to Be
- Hire Heroes USA
- Upchieve
- Conversations to Remember
- Reach the World
- United Way Worldwide
- Minds Matter NYC
- Goddard Riverside: Star Learning Center
- NYC Votes
Effective Fall 2020, Baruch Honors students are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of community service. Students must complete a minimum of 10 hours each year for the first three years. Students may complete the service requirement earlier, if desired. (Previously, Baruch Honors students completed 15 hours per year.) Community service hours may now roll forward to another year, i.e., students may exceed the minimum 10 hours per academic year. With this flexibility, students will no longer receive a waiver of community service for studying abroad, since students will have greater flexibility to complete service prior to traveling.
Seniors are required to submit all paperwork by the deadline in order to be eligible for Honors (Macaulay or Baruch Honors) designations on the diploma. If you are graduating early in fall, your Community Service for the fall semester must be submitted by the last day of fall classes.
Community Service may be performed at any time during the year, including the winter and summer sessions, but must be submitted by the deadline.
- Service outside the Baruch community must be performed at nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies such as health, education, environmental, arts, social welfare, and housing organizations. Volunteering at religious organizations will be recognized with the exception of participation in religious services.
- Student participation in Baruch chartered student clubs and organizations are essential to the vitality of the College. All students participating in student club/organization sponsored community service activities must document their hours of service.
- EXCLUSIONS: Students may not meet the requirement by holding an elected or a paid position in a student club or organization. Political campaigning or participating in religious service such as proselytizing, faith-based instruction, or other acts as an expression of faith are not considered community service. Also note that students can no longer receive community service credit for Conversation Partners*.
Preapproval for community service is required of First-Year Scholars as part of the First-Year Seminar (FYS). All other scholars are encouraged to speak with their advisors to confirm the eligibility of a particular volunteer activity within an organization and to create a meaningful experience aligned with the honors program mission.
- Macaulay Honors Scholars will submit the Macaulay Verification of Community Service Form to document community service hours. The form must be completed and signed by your volunteer supervisor, before it is scanned/emailed to your advisor. In addition, MHC students must include a reflective essay responding to the questions below as a MS Word or PDF attachment, to their advisor for each volunteer experience completed. Your advisor is responsible for approving the service and notifying you of approval.
- Baruch Scholars and Provost Scholars will submit the Baruch Honors Program Verification of Community Service Form to document community service hours. The form must be printed and signed by your volunteer supervisor, before it is scanned/emailed to your advisor. In addition, scholars must include a reflective essay responding to the questions below as a MS Word or PDF attachment, to their respective advisor for each volunteer experience completed. Advisors are responsible for approving the service and notifying you of approval. The form is also available under Forms on this website.
All scholars are required to submit a reflection for each service they participate in that responds to the following questions:
- What did you learn about yourself? The following prompts may help you respond to this question: Was there an instance when you had to move beyond your comfort zone? Did this experience challenge assumptions and/or stereotypes you may have had? How did you relate to the population served? What did you learn about the people around you (population served, staff, fellow volunteers, etc.)?
- What is the mission of the organization and how does it connect to the larger political, economic, social, and cultural forces that shape American society? Can you think of any alternative solutions for addressing the needs this organization serves?
- Explain whether you would engage in this community service again. How has this experience influenced how you will engage in your next service project?
Scholars who do not complete community service lose first-day, priority registration privileges through placement of an Honors Program (HP) stop on their academic record. Graduating seniors must have all co-curricular documentation completed by the deadline in order to be eligible for honors (Macaulay and/or Baruch Honors) designations on your diploma.
You can submit the required documentation to your honors adviser prior to May 1st, if you have already completed your service hours.
