Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Partnership Council?

A: It is an integrated body of well-connected and diverse Gustavus and St. Peter community members who meet once a month and whose function is to connect varied interests in service learning and service civic engagement with local and current community needs, assets, and priorities.

Q: What do they do?

A: The Council supports you with what can be one of the most challenging steps in designing a meaningful service learning or service civic engagement activity – finding a well-matched community collaborator, placement, or partner.

Q: How do they help me locate or find a community placement or partner?

A: Based on the information you provide (course goals and objectives, the nature of the service activity you’re interested in, description of your anticipated assignments, projects, etc), they provide you with a list of suggestions as to where, and with whom, your proposed service activity would be best matched in the local community.

Q: What kind of feedback can I expect to get back from the Council?

A: A list of identified sites or placements that most compliment your civic engagement interest, or course goals and objectives.

A: Brief explanations as to why the Council is suggesting these sites to you.

A: Initial inquiries (when appropiate and feasible) with the sites themselves to verify that they are interested and potential partners per your interests.

Q: What do I have to do with this feedback and suggestions the Council provides?

A: Whatever you want. There is NO obligation or mandate to follow up on the Council’s suggestions and feedback. While we ask that you acknowledge and respect the time and effort the Council will put into providing quality feedback and suggestions to you, you are by no means obligated to follow them or explore them further. If you feel the Council’s suggestions do not match what you’re particularly interested in, you can explore other alternatives with the GAC Community Service Center or St. Peter Volunteer Center directly.

Q: If I get a good suggestion from the Partnership Council and want to pursue it further, how do I do that?

A: Directly with Jeffrey Rathlef, Director of Community Service and Service-Learning at the GAC Community service Center, or Gretchen Taylor, Coordinator at the St. Peter Volunteer Center. We can set up an appointment with you to talk through your interests, set up the appointment with a potential community partner or placement, help you negotiate interests, talk through your course, assignments, etc.

Q: How long does the process take?

A: The Partnership Council convenes the first Wednesday of every month. The proposals are kept and reviewed over a month's time. The monthly convening lasts up to two hours.

Q: What types of proposals/questions are appropriate for the Partnership Council and what types are not?

A: The only thing the Partnership Council does NOT concern itself with is 1-time volunteer opportunities. Those can and should be explored directly through the St. Peter Partners in Service online database at: http://gustavus.edu/communityservice/servicedb.php. However, any type of on-going service placement or partnership over a semester, year, or indefinitely, is appropriate for the Council.

Q: I already do community service and/or service-learning and have a partner that I like. Do I need to go through the Partnership Council?

A: No. If you currently work with a partner and are happy with that arrangement, great. The council serves those that are exploring new interests, or want to expand or re-assess current ones.

Q: How much time does it take to submit a proposal?

A: About 10 minutes to fill out the online forms (service learning or service) and press SEND. If you are a faculty member, your course syllabus does not have to be complete, but you do need to be able to articulate your course goals and objectives as they relate to the local civic engagement you are interested in.

Q: Does the Partnership Council support community service and/or service-learning interests outside of St. Peter?

A: While the council focuses the majority of its efforts within the local community of St Peter, numerous proposals have been successfully supported with the identification of partners in Mankato as well.

Q: What does the Council and greater St. Peter community get out of this partnership?

A: The opportunity to have a supportive “voice” in civic engagement in their local community, the opportunity to identify and suggest needs, assets, and priorities of the community as they pertain to your civic engagement interests, and the ability to also submit proposals and explore collaborations with Gustavus.

Q: What do I have to lose?

A: Nothing! For 10 minutes of your time to fill out a proposal form, you get an organized body of community members willing to explore the best possible placements and partners for your civic engagement interests and needs. They will work, explore, and deliberate on your behalf!

Q: So, how do I fill out and submit a proposal?

A: Fill out either the service learning or service proposal forms found above in the left column.

Q: Where do I go if I have additional questions about the Partnership Council?

A: Contact Jeffrey Rathlef, Director of Community service and Service-Learning at the GAC Community service Center – jrathlef@gac.edu, (507) 933-6011, or Gretchen Taylor, Coordinator for the St. Peter Volunteer Center – gretchent@saintpetermn.gov , (507) 934-0810.

Contact Information

Jeffrey Rathlef: jrathlef@gac.edu