CAMDEN — Forget about reading case studies and textbooks. At the Rutgers School of Business–Camden, students are learning about corporate social responsibility through volunteer work in Camden and surrounding communities.
In the management course "Civic Engagement," undergraduate Rutgers–Camden business students are formulating ideas for business support of volunteer activities. The future executives also are reflecting on the personal rewards of contributing to society.
"Instead of spending classroom time reading case studies, the students are performing 30 hours of community service," says Gayle Porter, a professor of management at Rutgers–Camden who teaches the course.
Many of the students in the class are volunteering at the Food Bank of South Jersey. The Pennsauken-based nonprofit organization provides food to needy people, teaches them to eat nutritiously, and helps them find sustainable ways to improve their lives.
The students help sort through donated products for expiration dates, stock the Food Bank's marketplace, and assist with food distribution.
"Volunteering at the food bank allows us to put our social responsibility to action," says Curtis Osusky, a junior management major at Rutgers–Camden. A Sparta resident and Sparta High School graduate, Osusky says the volunteer experience is satisfying.
"I have now become more interested in finding a career that not only satisfies my needs, but also allows me to help others," he says.
The students are also volunteering for organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Jumpstart, a comprehensive Rutgers–Camden preschool program that provides early childhood mentoring to Camden preschoolers.
Porter says the new civic engagement course also asks the students to consider how business organizations should support employee volunteer initiatives.
"There are a range of opportunities out there and there are many people who are served by these agencies." Porter says. "I ask the students to use their volunteer work to make recommendations on how businesses should support their employees in volunteer work."
Pennsauken resident Angel Galiazzi, a junior at Rutgers–Camden who graduated from Pennsauken High School, is a student volunteer coordinator for the Food Bank interns.
"It's important for businesses to be involved in volunteering opportunities because they're also invested in the health and well being of the community," Galiazzi says.
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