Back See this section in context: Criterion 5 Core Component 5B

5B.3: Academic Activities Connect Students to the Community

Building bridges that connect Sauk students to the larger community in which they live is recognized as an important goal for the college.

Student Life

• Clubs and organizations (): The Student Government Association and student clubs provide many co-curricular activities that allow students to engage with the community and vice versa. Following are a few of the clubs and events they have sponsored or assisted with that serve or involve the Sauk Valley area in FY08 and FY09:
  • Student Government: Habitat for Humanity; Ronald Reagan 99th Birthday Luncheon
  • A.L.A.S.: Annual Sterling Fiesta Parade; FUSE Programs
  • Student Parent Association: AAUW Book Sale; Thanksgiving Food Baskets
  • Criminal Justice Club: Secret Service Agent program (open to community)
• Student athletics (): Sauk’s sports programs include baseball, men’s and women's basketball, cross country, golf, softball, men’s and women's tennis, and volleyball. Home games attract fans, friends, and family. Sauk hosts invitational and sectional tournaments (see Figure 5vi). Local radio stations regularly broadcast Sauk games and coaches submit information to local newspapers. Fans can stay in touch with their favorite team by visiting the Sauk website, where the Athletic Director posts results and highlights. As an additional bridge into the community, the athletic teams do public service projects, including volunteering at summer sports camps for local youth.

Education Programs

• Externships: Many of Sauk’s career programs require internships or practicums, which are designed to strengthen, enhance, and extend student learning by providing students with valuable hands-on training and work experience. Externships also provide an entry-level labor pool for area employers and local employment opportunities for students.
  • Health careers: All health career programs require significant time in clinical settings. Sauk has 44 formal contracts with clinical and internship sites. Clinical experiences are supervised by Sauk faculty and facility professionals.
  • Business: Internships are required for students pursuing AAS degrees in accounting, management, marketing, and office and administrative services. These internships require that students work 10-15 hours per week for a business or public office.
  • Other CTE programs: Based on the needs of the degree, a variety of other individual programs also require internships:
    • Manufacturing Technology
    • Electronic Engineering Technology
    • Early Childhood Education
    • Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning
    • Paraprofessional Educator
    • Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement
    • Social Service: Human Services
    • Mechanical Engineering Technology
• Fine Arts: Sauk's art, music, and theatre programs and creative writing classes share students' talents developed in the classroom with the community by offering art shows, concerts, plays, open-mic nights, poetry readings, and film presentations. For example, the Short Film Contest invites the community to view student submissions, which are juried by professional film producers and critics. Students also take their work off campus to area schools, festivals, and other local venues. For example, a local bookstore-coffeehouse is a frequent host of open-mic nights for the creative writing students. The community is also provided opportunities to participate in the arts on campus. About 1000 people a year attend one or more concerts, and theatre audiences average about 250 people a production, according to faculty estimates. Community members are also invited to audition for theatre productions and are regularly found in the cast.