(November 9, 2017) – Fresno State will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning and over 11 million hours of service to the region at 2 p.m., Monday, Nov. 13, in the North Gym, Room 118.
The Open House Ice Cream Social features a brief program beginning at 2:30 p.m. with University President Joseph I. Castro, Provost Lynnette Zelezny, Jan and Bud Richter, students, faculty members and community partners.
The Jan & Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning is responsible for coordinating the university’s community engagement and service-learning efforts.
“The program is dedicated to improving the education and development of our students and helping create a better community through service and learning,” said Chris Fiorentino, Richter Center director.
This past academic year (2016-17), 14,565 students, faculty, and staff members provided 1,386,449 hours of service to the community — a new annual record — which is equal to an estimated economic value of nearly $40.2 million.
“The Richter Center was the first named center for community engagement and service-learning in the California State University System,” Fiorentino said. “In the last 10 years, Fresno State has contributed over 11 million hours of service to our region. We are very excited to celebrate this milestone, and to acknowledge the many people who make Fresno State a national leader in community engagement and service.”
In August 2007, Jan and Bud Richter pledged to provide $3.5 million to establish the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, basing this generous donation on the motto they have tried to live their lives by, “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.”
“We believe that the center will instill in students a life-long character trait of giving to the community,” Richter said at the time.
The Richter Center, under the Vice Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, works closely with other programs and departments at Fresno State that are also involved in community engagement and service efforts, such as the Humanics@FresnoState, Career Development Center, Division of Student Affairs, Financial Aid, and academic departments across the university. Additionally, the Richter Center partners with approximately 200 community benefit organizations across the Central Valley.
For more information, contact Fiorentino at 559.278.7079.
University Communications news intern Yesenia Candelaria contributed to this report.
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