Public Service Report Details Student Activities

October 28, 1999

SEARCH THE GAZETTE

HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Bryan Richards, author and editor of Phillips Brooks House's annual report, and Judith Kidd, director of Phillips Brooks House Photo by Kris Snibbe

Harvard students have earned a well-deserved reputation for academic accomplishment, but perhaps less well-known is the amount of time and energy they devote to public service.

In 1998-99, more than 2,500 of Harvard’s 5,900 undergraduates were active in public service. Their activities run the gamut from teaching English to refugee children in Boston to working with grassroots organizations in Bangladesh to cheering up nursing home residents with music, friendship, and pet dogs.

Now the story of Harvard’s public service involvement is available in the 1999 Harvard College Annual Report on Public Service. The 66-page report was edited by Bryan Richards, MEd ’97, administrator of the Harvard Public Service Network. Robert Silverman ’02 assisted with writing, graphic design, and extensive research for the report.

This is the second year the report has appeared. It was initiated by Judith Kidd, the assistant dean of Harvard College for public service and director of Phillips Brooks House, the College's public service umbrella group. Kidd thought it was high time that public service organizations at Harvard got the recognition they deserved.

"The purpose of the report is to shine a light on student public service projects so that people can be aware of everything that’s going on," Kidd said.

Richards pointed out that the report also serves to bring recognition to small or recently formed groups that are doing valuable work but have not yet achieved high visibility.

As an example, he mentioned InterCity, an organization founded last year by a group of undergraduate computer science concentrators. InterCity provides free Web design classes for low-income residents of Boston.

"InterCity shows the degree of innovation taking place in public service," Richards said. "Five years ago, you just wouldn’t find a group going into a low-income community and teaching Web skills."

Groups that incorporate technology into their activities is one of the trends reflected in the annual report. Other growing interests are medical care and international development.

Project HEALTH (Helping Empower And Lead Through Health) is typical of new student organizations centered on medical care. Founded in 1996, the group works with low-income, largely minority communities, referring families to community resources and raising awareness about health issues.

Bhumi (the Sanskrit word for "earth") takes an international perspective. Founded three years ago, the group organizes projects at home and abroad to raise awareness of international development issues. Bhumi publishes a resource guide and runs an internship program that sends students overseas to advance civil rights and access to public health in developing nations.

Groups that stress an international perspective on medicine or law can help students gain a greater understanding of their own country as well as other cultures, said Richards.

"They encourage students to compare various government systems, and this can give them a richer appreciation of what is distinctive about the American system," he said.

The 1999 Harvard College Annual Report on Public Service will be available in University Hall and Phillips Brooks House. Individuals may also request a copy by visiting the Phillips Brooks House Website at http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pbh or by calling (617) 496-8622.