This study focuses on the nature of the partnership development between three community service agencies and an institution of higher education for the delivery of service-learning experiences. The specific partnerships are between agency members of The United Way Chapter of Licking County, State of Ohio, the American Red Cross Licking County Ohio Chapter, Sharon Glyn Senior Apartments and faculty members of the Newark campus of The Ohio State University. In addition to interviewing the Director of the service agencies in each of these three settings, interviews were conducted with service agency supervisors, and the three faculty members from the Newark campus who designed service learning based experiences within their respective courses. An extensive overview of the research concerning civic engagement and the role and basic concepts of service-learning on the college and university campus, building a service-learning partnership, and partnership development theories and processes is included.
From the point of view of service agencies and higher education faculty members, this study has seven primary foci: 1) To develop an understanding of the nature of service-learning partnerships with a regional (branch) campus located in a small rural town as understood by three participating community services organizations, and three participating higher education faculty members, 2) To develop an understanding of how service-learning partnerships are established/formulated, 3) To develop an understanding of how service-learning partnerships are maintained, 4) To develop an understanding of how service-learning partnerships are renewed, 5) To develop an understanding of how service-learning partnerships are changed, 6) To develop and understanding of the impact(s) service-learning partnerships have on the participating community service agencies staff/employees, physical facilities and services provided, and 7) To understand potential differences made on each of the six previous questions by the type and variation of service provided within the service-learning partnership. Qualitative inquiry is utilized to understand the patterns of meaning of these foci from the point of the faculty participants as well as the service agency and their staffs across three kinds of agencies.