October 13, 2002 - University of Maryland Diamondback: Harris Wofford pushes student service

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By Admin1 (admin) on Monday, October 14, 2002 - 12:46 pm: Edit Post

Harris Wofford pushes student service





Read and comment on this story from the University of Maryland Diamondback about hundreds who gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union last night to listen to a lecture on student activism given by new university professor of practice. Harris Wofford, an attorney for Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, who played an integral part in the establishment of the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, served in three presidential administrations and is a former U.S. senator at:

Wofford pushes student service*

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Wofford pushes student service

By Mary C. Schneidau

Staff writer

Hundreds gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union last night to listen to a lecture on student activism given by new university professor of practice. Harris Wofford, an attorney for Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, played an integral part in the establishment of the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, served in three presidential administrations and is a former U.S. senator.

In his first appearance at the university since his appointment, Wofford urged students to make a serious commitment to community service and leadership, two subjects in which he is well-versed.

University President C.D. Mote Jr. recently appointed Wofford a professor of practice and he will serve as part of the Democracy Collaborative, an organization hosted and sponsored by the university described on its website as, "a global, free-standing, nonprofit institute committed to strengthening democracy and civil society locally, nationally and globally."

Wofford was lauded in the welcome and introductions by administrators including Mote, who said the university was "extremely honored that Sen. Harris Wofford is here."

Once he got to the podium, Wofford was quick to point out the failures he had experienced in his life.

"Almost every job I've gotten in my career has come as a surprise. ... Most of the candidates for president I've campaigned for have lost," he said.

He then turned to the main theme of his lecture - the practice of service in a democracy.

"You are lucky to be Americans in this complicated and challenging time," Wofford told those in attendance. "I believe the idea of America calls us to be not just subjects, but citizens. How can you learn citizenship without going out and... being active duty citizens?"

Wofford presented five ways he said are necessary for American students to become leaders in service. First, students need to answer President Bush's call for two years, or 4,000 hours, of service. Next, Wofford said students should not only participate in service, but become leaders in their communities. He pointed out the need for mentors for young people. Third, he said every citizen should be a teacher or coach sometime in his or her life. Fourth, he said at least half of all students participating in the federal work-study program should be engaged in some sort of service work. Finally, Wofford urged students to become involved in politics itself.

Wrapping up his lecture, Wofford told students that, "What you want to do interests me." He asked students to approach him with their ideas.

A question and answer session was held after the lecture, though many in attendance left between the two.

Wofford encouraged King to follow Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence in order to initiate social change and walked with him and other civil rights leaders on the five-day march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. in 1965.

Wofford later served as a special assistant to President Kennedy and helped establish the Peace Corps. He became the Peace Corps' associate director during the Johnson administration. He served as a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania from 1991 to 1994, during which time he helped pass legislation that created AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

He was CEO of the Corporation for National Service and is now chairman of America's Promise, an organization whose purpose, said founding chairman Colin Powell, is to "strengthen the character and competence of youth."

Wofford's role in the university community is, as of yet, unclear beyond his affiliation with the Democracy Collaborative. When asked how students would get to work with him as a professor of practice, Wofford said he was not sure. He said that, for the moment, his duties to America's Promise and his work with his son Dan Wofford's congressional campaign in Pennsylvania consume most of his time. Wofford added that he hopes to have a more clearly defined role in the university community in the coming months and that he will attend an upcoming CIVICUS event.

Many students at the lecture were members of student leadership and service programs at the university, including CIVICUS, America Reads America Counts and College Park Scholars Public Leadership.



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