Shaw Center Highlights Ways Students Can Give Back This Semester

Students can explore service-learning opportunities that connect classroom knowledge with meaningful community impact.

Kelly Homan Rodoski Sept. 9, 2025

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For students who are looking to get involved in community service this year, the University’s Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service has plenty of options.Such programs as the Literacy Corps, Balancing the Books, STEM Initiative, Nutrition Initiative and Syracuse University Volunteer Organization (SUVO) offer students opportunities to make a difference in the greater Syracuse community.

Undergraduate students of all years and majors are invited to explore involvement opportunities. Representatives from the Shaw Center and other recognized student organizations will be at the Fall Involvement Fair today, Tuesday, Sept. 9; Wednesday, Sept. 10; and Thursday, Sept. 11, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on the Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle to meet with interested students.

Volunteer opportunities include the following:

Syracuse University Literacy Corps (SULC)

A signature program of the Shaw Center, SULC places literacy tutors in elementary schools in the Syracuse City School District, other area schools and in community organizations to provide K-12 students with one-on-one mentoring and academic support. The Literacy Corps is a paid position, and applications [PDF] are currently being accepted through Friday, Sept. 12.

A Syracuse University student works with a Syracuse City School District student at a chalkboard as part of the Literacy Corps program — A University student works with a Syracuse City School District student at a chalkboard as part of the Literacy Corps program.

SULC was one of the first programs that Elyas Layachi, a junior mathematics major in the College of Arts and Sciences and an inclusive adolescent education major in the School of Education, got involved with at Syracuse as a first-year student.

“As a student in education, SULC has given me a glimpse into the profession of teaching, specifically in diverse learning environments with students from different backgrounds and speaking so many languages,” he says.

Layachi is now a leadership intern in the Shaw Center, hiring and onboarding tutors, processing program data and organizing such events as professional development trainings and tutor orientations.

“I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in working with the younger population, wants to be more involved in the greater Syracuse community and enjoys having new experiences apply for this position,” he says.

Balancing the Books

Balancing the Books is a financial literacy mentoring program offered through a collaboration of the Shaw Center, Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the Syracuse City School District. Volunteer tutors commit a minimum of one year to working with a consistent cohort of middle school and high school students at Huntington Pre-K-8 School and Henninger High School. Tutors work with students on financial literacy, reading, writing, mathematics and other skills. This opportunity is available to Whitman undergraduates only.

STEM Initiative

STEM Initiative volunteers facilitate hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities in classroom and after-school settings, engaging in small groups with student participants to help them improve their science, computing, reading and math skills. The initiative consists of two distinctive programs:

STEM Explorers
STEM Explorers is a mentoring program for middle school students in the Syracuse area with support from SRC Inc. focused on the engineering aspect of STEM.
Syracuse University Information Technology Experience (SUITE)
SUITE is a mentoring program for elementary school students in the Syracuse area focused on the technology aspect of STEM.

Both programs seek to further STEM passion in K-12 students and encourage them to pursue those interests into high school and beyond. The STEM Initiative is open to all University undergraduates, regardless of year or major.

Nutrition Initiative

The initiative is a collaboration with the David B. Falk College of Sport and consists of three programs: Books and Cooks, a literacy, culture and cooking collaboration with Syracuse City School District elementary schools; Cooking on the Hillside, providing cooking lessons to participants in the Hillside Work Scholarship Program; and Food Busters, a program for high school students that explores the science behind food through hands-on activities and experiments.

Syracuse University Volunteer Organization (SUVO)

SUVO is a recognized student organization that is open to any student. Housed in the Shaw Center, it organizes volunteer events and connects students with volunteer opportunities in the community through the ’Cuse activities portal.

“The SULC tutor position, as well as our other volunteer opportunities, offer SU students a unique, challenging and rewarding reciprocal learning experience,” says Carla Ramirez, assistant director of the Shaw Center. “In addition to assisting the community with various learning initiatives, tutors develop lifelong and professional skills.”