Public Service Program

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SIU Lake

RAMP - Public Service Program


The Public Service Program includes those program elements established to make available to the public the various unique resources and capabilities of the institution for the specific purpose of responding to a community need or solving a community problem. This program would consist of various non-degree instructional programs which are classified as Community Education and various consulting activities which are performed by faculty or other representatives of the university community. However, no activity should be classified and recognized as official university activity unless it has been officially assigned by a department head, dean, vice-president or president. For example, faculty consulting as a community agency which is not a part of an official university assignment would not be reported in this program, nor would it be reported in any other functional program. 

The activities included in the Community Education subprogram are similar to the non-degree activities and programs which NCHEMS has classified under Instruction, since they have educational change as a basic goal. Education change includes: 1) acquisition or improved understanding of some portion of a body of knowledge, 2) adoption of new or different attitudes, and 3) acquisition or increased mastery of a skill or set of skills. The costs associated with this specific activity should be allocated from the departmental budget. 


3020 DIRECT PATIENT CARE

This subprogram includes those activities conducted for the specific purpose of providing direct patient care. The provision of such care may benefit humans or animals. This subprogram should not include student and faculty health services nor should it include teaching hospitals and clinics which have been established to support instruction and research. An example of such a service is the Division for Crippled Children Services at the Medical Center Campus, University of Illinois. 

3030 COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Instructional programs which are offered by the university but which are not creditable to a degree or certificate are included in this subprogram. These activities include the following:

  • General Studies Instruction
  • Occupation-Related Instruction
  • Social/Roles/Interaction Instruction
  • Home and Family Life Instruction
  • Personal Interest and Leisure Instruction
These types of instructional activities have characteristics which are common to the activities included under the Instructional Program except that they are not creditable toward a degree. 

Community Education will consist of activities which are budgeted to a separate organizational unit established specifically to provide non-degree credit instruction. In some cases, these organizational units will be budgeted a separate amount of faculty salary funds with which to provide non-degree instructional activities. These separate organizational units including the funds with which faculty time is purchased should be classified as Community Education. 

In some cases, departmental faculty may be assigned to teach non-degree instructional courses, and they may be paid from the academic departmental budget. In such cases, the associated resources should be assigned to Community Education. 

3040 COMMUNITY SERVICE

This subprogram includes those resources, services and expertise made available to persons and groups outside the context of the institution's Instruction, Organized Research and support programs. Examples: Consulting with business and public school systems; faculty/staff participation in community agencies and organizations when it has been assigned as a part of an official workload. Community Service activities are often conducted under the aegis of special organizational units established for the sole purpose of providing assistance to groups external to the university. 

3050 PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICES

Public Broadcasting Services includes the operation and maintenance of those broadcasting services operated for the benefit of the general public. In some cases, these broadcasting services may also be used to support instructional programs in radio and television communications. Faculty assigned to teach these programs should not be classified in this subprogram; they should be assigned to the Instructional Program. However, all personnel who are primarily responsible for the operation and maintenance of a broadcasting service should be classified into the subprogram. Broadcasting services operated as a student service, limited only to the geographical area of the university campus for the benefit of students, staff and faculty, should be classified under Social and Cultural Development in the Student Services Program. 

3060 COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE

Activities that make resources, services, and expertise available outside of the Instructional and Research programs. These activities are usually conducted as cooperative efforts with outside agencies. Excluded from this subprogram are instructional and research activities offered through an extension division. A distinguishing feature of the activities included in this subprogram is that programmatic and fiscal control are usually shared with one or more external agencies or governmental units.  Examples: Agricultural Extension Program, Urban Extension Services, and Rural Social and Economic Development programs. 

3070 PUBLIC SERVICE SUPPORT

All administrative support activities directly attributable to the Public Service Program should be classified as Public Service Support. This would include the budget and activities for any organizational units established primarily to manage and direct Public Service types of programs and activities, and the portion of the departmental administrative budget attributable to public service activities.