While earning a degree at Bentley, students are able to earn the Service-Learning Certificate. The certificate represents to potential employers and others in the community a student’s understanding that social responsibility and ethics are important components of the American business environment. Today’s business environment demands individuals who have distinguished themselves as socially responsible and civically engaged. Through the Service-Learning Certificate Program, Bentley offers you the opportunity to demonstrate these qualities to potential employers, neighbors and friends.
To obtain the certificate, students must complete 120 hours of service to the community while attending Bentley. Credit and noncredit service hours can be combined to meet the 120-hour requirement. Certificate holders receive a special notation on their graduation transcripts and recognition by the university as leaders in social responsibility and civic engagement.
Apply now for the Service-Learning Undergraduate Certificate.
The 120 hours of service should span your career at Bentley and may be composed of service undertaken through 4th-credit options, embedded course projects, internships, the International Service-Learning Program, and Bentley's noncredit work-study and Community Work Program.
Program details:
At least 60 of the 120 hours must be undertaken for credit, e.g., embedded course projects, 4th-credit projects, and SL421 internship projects with nonprofit or other service organizations.
No more than 20 hours may be credited from each embedded course project that you undertake. There is no limit, however, to the number of embedded projects you may undertake and apply toward the certificate.
No more than 20 hours may be credited per semester from an SL421 internship with non-profit or other service organizations.
At least 100 of the 120 hours should have been completed by the end of your junior year.
Up to 10 hours of verified service completed during your high school or pre-Bentley career may be applied to the 120-hour total. These should be reported during your first semester as a freshman.
You must apply for the Certificate Program by January 31 of your sophomore year or before you reach Level 4 status, whichever is later.
You must adhere to all reporting deadlines—January 31 for fall semester service and June 30 for spring semester service. Failure to meet the reporting deadlines will result in your forfeiting your hours of service for that semester.
Finally, you must also enroll and participate in the Bentley Civic Leadership Program. For information about the Leadership Program, contact Prof. Anthony Buono (MG) at <abuono@bentley.edu> or at 781/891-2529.
To receive the Service-Learning Certificate, you must apply. A completed application form must be received by BSLC by January 31 of your sophomore year or before you reach Level 4 status, whichever is later. You may and are encouraged to apply much earlier. During the four years at Bentley, you must keep an electronic record of your service activities. The record is a rolling document. The document, which is called the Service Tracking Form, is available on the BSLC web site. BSLC will verify your Tracking Form at regular intervals. The verification may require a meeting between you and a member of the BSLC staff or student leadership. The Tracking Form must include a listing of the service sites, the dates of the service, the number of service hours, a contact at the service site, and an identification of the service as part of a credit or noncredit project.
By spring semester of your senior year, you must also verify that you have successfully participated in Bentley’s Civic Leadership Program. For information about the Leadership Program, contact Professor Anthony Buono (MG) at <abuono@bentley.edu> or at 781.891.2529. Upon submission of complete, accurate, and verified application materials, BSLC will award the certificate and request that the Registrar include the certificate designation on your transcript. For more information, attend a scheduled Orientation Session or contact:
Professor Edward Zlotkowski
Director, Bentley Service-Learning Center
Email: ezlotkowski@bentley.edu
Tel: 781.891.2592
To Log on to E-Portfolio and Access the S-L Certificate Tracking Form:
Access E-Portfolio via MyBentley or eportfolio.bentley.edu. Login to E-Portfolio with your Bentley shortname and network password, then click the Service-Learning Tab.One form is available for your use – the Service-Learning Tracking Form. You should download this form to your computer and use it to track your activities during the semester. At the end of the semester, the forms should be submitted using the Matrix.
Once submitted, the color of the relevant cell on the Matrix will change from green to yellow. When this happens, you will no longer be able to access your submission or revise it without approval. Therefore, please be sure that the information you enter is accurate. To download form:
• Click on "Resources"
• Click on "Service-Learning Tracking Form" and save it your computer
To submit completed form:
• Click on the “Matrix"
• Click on the program and semester you are reporting
• Click "New"
• Click "Create Item" next to your email
• Click “Browse” to find your file
• Click “Upload”
• Click “Select” next to the file you have uploaded
• Click “Attach”
• Click “Submit for Review”
• You will receive the message “Cell Status is PENDING and cannot be altered”
You're done!
Q1. Does volunteer work during the summer or during winter break count toward the Certificate?
A1. It does not count unless it is sponsored by a Bentley organization and is verified. When in doubt about whether a service project can be applied toward the Certificate, contact the Director of Service-Learning before.
Q2. What happens if I submit my service hours on e-portfolio after the deadline?
A2. Deadlines are firm. If you miss the deadline, you forfeit those service hours. The deadline for reporting fall service is the following January 31 at 11:59 p.m. The deadline for reporting spring service is the following June 30 at 11:59 p.m. If you are a freshman, however, you have until January 31 of your sophomore year to report all prior service.
Q3. What should I do if I have technical difficulties recording my hours on e-portfolio?
A3. E-mail the Director of Service-Learning with the problem prior to the reporting deadline. The Director will direct you to the student coordinator to assist you.
Q4. What is the deadline for applying to the Certificate program?
A4. The deadline is January 31 at 11:59 p.m. of your sophomore year.
Q5. Is the deadline for applying different for transfer students?
A5. It is different for transfer students who transfer in as sophomores. Sophomore transfer students have until June 30 of their sophomore year to apply. Transfer students who transfer to Bentley after their sophomore year and who have a record of significant prior service may petition the Director of Service-Learning for consideration to apply.
Q6. Are their types of volunteer work that do not count toward the Certificate?
A6. Yes. Only direct community service applies, i.e., planning service events as opposed to actual service does not apply. Also, fundraising activities do not apply, e.g., walks and road races; also raffles, car washes, and other fundraising activities do not apply.
Q7. How and when do I record my prior Bentley service toward the Certificate?
A7. Prior Bentley service, e.g., community service done during high school, must be reported on e-portfolio when you apply for the Certificate program. You should place those hours and the relevant contact information in the first box on the matrix. Please note that you are required also to supply the Director of Service-Learning with formal confirmation of your prior service. Such confirmation usually takes the form of a written letter or email from the supervisor of your prior service.
Q8. Do hours spent working on projects sponsored by my church count toward the Certificate?
A8. These hours will count if they involve service to the wider community irrespective of religious affiliation. These hours will not count if they involve a religious purpose, e.g., teaching church doctrine.
Q9. If I am participating in a 4th-credit or embedded project and I spend more than 20 hours on that project, will I receive credit for the actual number of hours served?
A9. No. The maximum number of hours credited for a 4th-credit or embedded project is 20 hours. The same applies to an SL421 Internship.