1. Wendy Alemán
Assignment: Career Plan (Nov. 2004)
Position Title: Community Service Center Director
Department: Office of Community Service Learning
Type of Institution: 4-year, Oregon, public
Education required: Master’s degree in student affairs
General description of the position: The director develops workshops and programs,
assessments and evaluations, publications and forms, and manages a database designed to
track student volunteers, community and campus opportunities, and student hours worked.
The director also works closely with community agencies and various departments on
campus to create a collaborative community service-learning program. In addition, the
director advises the student staff of the Office of Community Service Learning and serves
on committees as requested. The director coordinates outreach and works collaboratively
with local agencies, students, and the campus community, provides
mentoring/leadership/advising student organizations whose purpose is to provide service
to others, places students in volunteer positions in various community agencies, promotes
service opportunities to students and student organizations, collaborates with campus
partners, particularly Academic Affairs and University Housing and Dining Services,
serves on the Community Service and Service Learning Advisory Board, connects with
community agencies to promote the community service program and assess volunteer
opportunities; including regular on site visits, manages department’s budget, works with
other service learning initiatives on campus, works collaboratively with faculty involved
in community service and service-learning projects; hires, supervises, trains, motivates,
and evaluates student employees; conducts assessment and research related to community
service on campus, serves on committees as assigned and carries out other duties and
responsibilities as assigned.

2. Wendy Alemán
Assignment: Career Plan (Nov. 2004)
Skills Assessment
Current skills:
1. Program and event planning: college experience included organizing/planning-
teach-in on NAFTA, Earth Day, the Can’t Use Paper or Plastic waste reduction
“CUPPS” program; experience planning events in AmeriCorps; Program
administration (creation and operation of the Klickitat County Volunteer Hub),
CUPPS program; Annual Oregon CIS Staff retreat organizer (co-organized two
years).
2. Supervision: supervised 2-3 students over the course of 3 years for various
research projects, also supervised work of other staff members on educational
research projects, currently provide supervision for 3 student employees.
3. Volunteer management: experience with volunteer management and volunteer
recruitment. Knowledge of theories in volunteer motivation and retention.
4. Community service project planning: experience planning volunteer projects.
5. Database management: experience managing Access database with over 5,000
records of financial aid data, Oregon college and university information
(admissions information, general institutional data, and program offerings), and
college transfer information.
6. Community building: experience working with non-profit community agencies
serving the area of Klickitat County Washington. Experience creating public
service announcements and using the public media for outreach and educational
purposes.
7. Project management: experience managing long term projects and developing
timelines for project completion (priority setting process –organized annual staff
priority setting retreat twice).
8. Knowledge of community service learning: basic knowledge of service learning
and ways to transform community service to service learning.
9. Knowledge of diversity issues: understanding of cultural issues pertaining to
Latinos and students of color. Familiar with statistics and trends in Latino student
enrollment and retention in higher education. Experience with individuals from
diverse backgrounds in professional and personal environments.
10. Presentation and publication: experience creating a newsletter and brochure for
the Klickitat County Volunteer Hub. Experience presenting workshops (volunteer
management and Students in Service), professional briefs, and classroom
presentation using PowerPoint and other media.
11. Experience managing budget: currently developing skills in this area. (Also
managed a small student budget in college for the URI Students for Social
Change group).
12. Knowledge of student development theory: CSSA graduate class in student
development theory.
13. Knowledge of higher education history: CSSA graduate class.
14. Knowledge of programs and functions in student affairs: CSSA graduate class.

3. Wendy Alemán
Assignment: Career Plan (Nov. 2004)
Goals to pursue to prepare me for this position:
1. Develop skills in assessment and evaluation. – I hope to develop this skill through
course work in CSSA.
2. Develop greater depth of serve learning and ways it relates to issues of diversity
and social justice. – I plan to learn more in service learning through reading and
conference with Deb Burke. Also, I hope to find more time to read outside of
class work.
3. Develop greater understanding of other subculture groups, especially as it relates
to other ethnic minorities, LBGT and students with disabilities. – It is my
personal goal to learn more about other subculture groups on campus. I feel there
is so much to learn regarding the struggles, challenges, and perspectives of other
student populations on campus.
4. Develop greater skill in managing budgets and developing accurate projections. –
I’m current working on the OSU Community Service Center budget. I believe
this experience will help with future positions in student affairs.
Personal Philosophy Statement
Everyone has the potential to make a difference in this world; my philosophy is
that are many ways to tap into the potential of human kind and encourage others to make
a difference. As a future professional in student affairs, I feel that it is my duty to
encourage students to get involved with their communities, to nurture the ones that are
already doing so, and to recognize students for the service they provide the community.
Community service opportunities provide students the avenue to make a difference in
their communities. Moreover, through service learning we have an opportunity to teach
students about the social issues that impact our society.
As a member of the Latino community, I recognize cultural differences in
community service and the cultural misinterpretations rooted in the words “volunteer
service.” For example, in Spanish, there isn’t a word that accurately reflects the concept
of volunteering. Moreover, I’ve become cognizant that many students of color see their
work in their community as “giving back” to their community. Recognizing that many
students of color who are active in their communities may not acknowledge their

4. Wendy Alemán
Assignment: Career Plan (Nov. 2004)
involvement as volunteer service per se, I feel that is important to recognize these
students for the work they do. I believe that the role of the Office of Community Service
Learning should be to recognize all students for their service to the community; this
includes underrepresented students whose involvement in the community is commonly
overlooked.
Overall, I believe when given the opportunity, people will choose to become
actively engaged in their community. When students feel that their time is valued, that
they matter, and that their efforts are making a difference, I believe students will continue
to give back to the community. My goal is to provide students with the tools they need to
be actively engaged in their society and recognize them for their efforts.