Lesson Overview

Part of being successful as a college student is getting involved. There is evidence [1] supporting the idea that students who are engaged with their peers have a higher chance of reaching graduation than those who are insulated. Even though you are spread all over the country, there are ways that you can get involved with other ESP students, other World Campus students, and the Penn State Community as a whole.

What will we learn?

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• articulate the variety of ways you can get involved with Penn State, with other ESP students, and with other World Campus students and faculty
• create a plan to become an EMSAGE laureate
• create a LinkedIn profile

What will be due?

Refer to the Activities page for more information on the assessments for this lesson.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please post to the corresponding Canvas forum or e-mail the instructor (if the question is personal in nature).

World Campus Student Organizations

"As a distance learner, being able to participate in a student organization, like World Campus Sustainability Club, helped me feel more connected to the university and my peers. I was able to interact with other students outside of the classroom and form lasting bonds that we will carry with us past the completion of our degree programs." - Alicia Peck, ESPBS student, World Campus Sustainability Club President

World Campus Sustainability Club

Yes, there are many clubs available to World Campus students, and the World Campus Sustainability Club [2] is one of them! I am currently serving as the club's adviser, and we meet online, via Zoom at least once a month. The Club's Board (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) meets regularly to discuss things like upcoming events, membership drives, and the latest Sustainability related news. In addition, the members have been hosting guest speakers like Michael Mann (You can listen to his 43-minute talk here [3] (transcript [4])) and running a monthly reading series!

There are many reasons to get involved with a club, including the valuable interactions and networking opportunities with your peers and instructors (it's never too early to be thinking about your impending job search!), increased access to relevant information and opportunities, and don't forget that club involvement (especially holding a leadership position) is a great resume booster!

The Sustainability Club is always looking for new members! Consider joining as a regular member or run for an officer position! Either way, contact the group at: psusustainabilityclub@gmail.com [5]

Other World Campus Clubs

You can see the full list of clubs available and a short description of each at the Student Organizations page [6] shown below. These clubs are mostly exclusive to World Campus students, and there's something for everyone!

Some of the clubs listed include:

• American Association of University Women

• Military Service Organization

• Organizational Leadership (OLEAD) Club

[6]

World Campus Student Organization webpage

Credit: Penn State World Campus © Penn State University is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 [8]

Listen to the World Campus Podcast about ways to meet other World Campus students and get involved at Penn State.

[9]

Student Affairs Podcast: Leadership and Involvement

Credit: Penn State World Campus © Penn State University is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 [8]

Credit for all screenshots: © Penn State is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 [8]

Credit: © Penn State University is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 [8]

What is EMSAGE?

EMSAGE is the acronym for The Earth and Mineral Sciences Academy for Global Experience. It is a way to recognize students that have gone above and beyond and exemplify the College's efforts to foster students’ global competence and to promote a spirit of integrity, service, and leadership.

It's a distinction that you can earn by completing the ESP degree requirements and taking advantage of some of the other opportunities offered to you through the College. As stated on the College's website, EMSAGE laureates are formally recognized, awarded a crystal Laureate memento and certificate, and enshrined on the EMSAGE Laureate roster in the Ryan Family Student Center. Not to mention, EMSAGE status looks great on a resume!

Being an EMSAGE Laureate is a unique distinction offered by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences only. This should not be an accomplishment that you “check off,” but a pathway to develop into someone that will graduate with the necessary competencies to meaningfully contribute to the world and be successful in a rewarding career.

An Engagement Plan is a draft roadmap, integrating curricular, engagement, and service activities that can help prepare you for your imagined future, but also be used to achieve EMSAGE Laureate status. The following is a list of some of the types of achievements you can use to complete the Laureate requirements. However, there are many other ways that you can fulfill each; this list is not exhaustive in any way, think of this as things you could do to fulfill the requirements, not things you must do. Some of the most common qualifiers for ESP students have been changed to bold green font and noted with an asterisk *.

Achieving Laureate status will require accomplishments in a minimum of nine activities that demonstrate balance across each of these categories:

Scholarship

• * Enrolled in an Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate degree program (IUG) in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
• * Enrolled in one or more minors or concurrent majors
• * Demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language(s)
• * Dean’s list for 4 or more semesters
• Recipient of a prominent scholarship award (Examples: Bunton-Waller, Udall, Goldwater, NSF, Truman, Rhodes, Marshall, Discovery Grant, etc.)
• Publication in peer-reviewed literature
• Participation in the William Grundy Haven Paper Competition
• Participation in a poster competition
• Undergraduate research

Experiential Learning and Global Literacy

• * Participation in International Internship and/or Study Abroad programs
• * Participation in Cooperative Education and/or Internship programs
• Participation in a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program or equivalent
• Participation in CAUSE projects or an academic project with an international travel component
• Participation in extended field studies
• * Presentation at a professional forum
• * Work experience relevant to your EMS major
• * Unique life experiences (Examples: military service, Peace Corps, extensive travel, living abroad, etc.)

Service

• Participation as a teaching assistant
• Participation as a mentor in TOTEMS
• * Active participation in professional societies
• Educational outreach (Examples: mentor in SEEMS, ASM Camp, WISE Camp, Campus Weather Service, Weather Camp, school visitations, EMEX, EMS Museum Docent, etc.)
• * Participation and service to University organizations or commissions (Examples: EMS Student Council, Interest House, IFC/Panhellenic Council, UPUA, Faculty Senate, FISE, etc.)
• * Participation in local, state, or federal government (Examples: Congressional Fellow, voter registration, etc.)
• * Civic and volunteer service (Examples: Habitat for Humanity, Food Bank, Big Brother/Sister, Red Cross Blood Drive, Meals on Wheels, etc.)
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity (Examples: World in Conversation discussion facilitator, LGBTQA; Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity.)
• Peer mentoring
• Tutoring
• Resident Assistant
• * Demonstrated leadership in the organizations of which you are a member (Examples: PTA, church organizations, etc)

Social Media: Additional Ways to Connect...

Credit: LinkedIn [12] [12]by Mohamed Hassan is licensed under CC0 [13]

LinkedIn is the "world's largest professional network on the Internet," with more than 300 million members in over 200 countries and territories. (LinkedIn - Company page [14]). Its mission is to "connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. When you join LinkedIn, you get access to people, jobs, news, updates, and insights that help you be great at what you do." (LinkedIn - About page [15])

The ESP program has an official LinkedIn page. If you have questions or need help with LinkedIn, let me know!

You can:

• view What is LinkedIn [16]? (less than 2 minutes!);
• visit LinkedIn and signup [17] (if you haven't already);
• read 8 Mistakes You Should Never Make on LinkedIn [18] (Forbes, 2013);
• create a complete up-to-date profile [19]. Include a photo, summary, experience, and Education. Add more sections if you like!
• connect with me (Haley Sankey [20]) and Brandi Robinson [21]

Be sure to join the Penn State ESP Majors and Alumni group! [23] You may also be interested in these groups:

• Penn State Career Services
• Sustainability @ Penn State

Credit: Facebook [24] by Pixabay is licensed under CC0 [13]

The ESP program has an official Facebook page where we frequently post about events, news related to Penn State and ESP students, and job openings. Be sure to "like" the Penn State Energy and Sustainability Policy Degree Facebook [25] page to keep in touch with your fellow students and instructors!

Conferences and Poster Exhibitions

Throughout the year, you'll see announcements about conferences and calls for posters through the College's weekly emails. If there is a conference you'd like to attend, look into it, many times students get free or discounted registration! If you need financial support for travel or accommodations, you can apply for a grant through the Student Engagement Network [26] or contact the Student Services office to see if there's funding support available.

There are several exhibitions on campus that you can participate in! We have had students from afar present at multiple events, and it's been a great hit! We will work with you to get your poster printed and displayed here on campus, and you'll also have a copy to have with you at your home. Then we use technology to make sure you're where you need to be, when you need to be there!

Check out this video showing one of our students from Florida participating in the 2018 Undergraduate Poster Exhibition:

Video: Energy and Sustainability Policy program (1:46)

If you see any opportunities happening on campus that you'd like to participate in, please do not hesitate to contact me or your adviser to discuss how we can make that happen for you!

Summary

If you have the ability to join a club, please consider doing so; you won't regret it! If the only thing you're able to do at this time is to follow our Facebook page, or join our LinkedIn group, then please do that! We want you to feel connected to your peers, to us, and to the University. But we can't do that without your help! If you have any questions about how to get involved, let me know.

Also, if you ever find yourself near State College, PA, or want to come here for a visit, email me and let me know. Brandi Robinson and I both love meeting our students and their families.

Finally, there is one football game every year that is deemed "All University Day"; if you're interested in attending a game with other World Campus students, be sure to watch your email to get tickets in advance!