About Us

Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Civic Engagement is to create a campus of citizens who are civically aware, skilled and committed to act for the public good.

The Office of Civic Engagement accomplishes this mission through curricular and co-curricular activities that create opportunities for citizens to find a meaningful role in their local, regional, national, and international communities.

Program Accomplishments

2006-2007 school year

Fall Semester 2006: 933 volunteers at 93 sites, 26,312 hours.
Spring Semester 2007: 818 volunteers at 90 sites, 22,164 hours.
Total: 1,751 volunteers at 93 sites, 48,476 hours of direct service to the community.

Previous accomplishments

2006-2007: 1,751 volunteers at 93 sites, 48,476 hours of direct service.
2005-2006: 1,324 volunteers, 41,159 hours of direct service.
2004-2005: 1,013 volunteers at 112 sites, 54,342 hours of direct service.
2003-2004: 1,118 volunteers at 119 sites, 34,046 hours of direct service.
2002-2003: 1,226 volunteers at 114 sites, 33, 243 hours of direct service.
2000-2001: 869 tutors at 56 sites tutored 8,550 children, compiled 19,635 hours of direct academic support to those children.
1999-2000: 474 tutors at 42 sites, tutored approximately 5,530 children.
1998-1999: 211 tutors at 25 sites, tutored approximately 1,600 children.

97% of pre-K-12 children tutored experienced academic improvement.
Teachers and staff noted increased self-esteem, improved attitudes towards learning, as well as more timely completion of assignments

What is the Office of Civic Engagement?

The Office of Civic Engagement, formerly The Darland Connection, the Darland Intergenerational Program and the Darland Center, is a nonprofit organization created to honor the memory and good works of University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) Chancellors Emeritus Raymond and Jewell Darland.

Volunteers are placed in schools, alternative learning settings and community sites throughout Duluth and the surrounding area. Requests for Office of Civic Engagement tutors come from parents, teachers, counselors and social workers. Appropriate matches are arranged between UMD students and children. Community well-being is strengthened through this partnership, benefiting the lives of children, youth and college students.

The Office of Civic Engagement is housed at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) within the college of Education and Human Service Professions (CEHSP).

History

In the Fall of 1990, The Darland Connection began offering its volunteer tutoring/mentoring services to children in Duluth area schools. In its initial stages, the main body of volunteers was made up of retired UMD faculty and staff and the focus of operation was at schools located in the western part of the Duluth community. At that time, a Community Program Assistant was employed with the program and coordinated its activities under the supervision and guidance of the organization's Board of Directors, now known as the OCE Community Advisory Council.

In February 1992, Dr. R. J. Falk, the program's originator and a major driving force within the organization, suffered a debilitating stroke. For the next two years, no Community Program Assistant was hired and all the activities of the organization were carried out by board members. UMD students made up the majority of volunteers during this period. A Community Program Assistant was hired halftime in the Fall of 1994 to promote greater program advocacy to local schools and recruit more student volunteers so that increased numbers of PreK-12th grade children could be assisted. The Community Program Assistant position was increased to three quarter time during 1995-96 to help meet the growing number of requests from teachers, school staff, and parents.