Citizen Scholar Program

Appalachian State University encourages students to look beyond the boundaries of the classroom through a variety of civic engagement opportunities. The Citizen Scholar Program honors students who have participated in a significant number of service-learning courses throughout their collegiate career and have distinguished themselves by demonstrating an outstanding level of commitment to civic leadership and social responsibility. 


Citizen Scholars Must Meet/Complete the Following:

  • all requirements for graduation with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
  • at least 4 ACT-sponsored service-learning and/or community-based research courses (12 credit hours). Not all courses must be related to your major or minor.
  • a portfolio of assignments completed in service-learning courses, as well as final reflections from those courses.
  • one of the following service-learning capstone projects in your final year at Appalachian State University:
    • Take the Public Service Research Program course, or independent study, to complete a community-based research project that includes field work, a written report, and an action plan.
    • Participate in a long-term International Service-Learning experience, of at least 3 credit-hours and/or 6-8 weeks in length. You will be required to write a final paper reflecting on your experience and addressing how future students may contribute to that community based on its needs, population, and the agency with which you worked.
Consult with your major advisor and with the ACT office on ways in which the service-learning capstone project may be integrated into the capstone required for your major. 
 

How to Apply:
  • Contact Appalachian & the Community Together (ACT) to inform them of your intention to graduate as a Citizen Scholar and meet with ACT staff to choose a service-learning capstone project to ensure that it fulfills the requirements of the program.  Deadlines:  For December Graduation: January 15;  For May/August Graduation: September 15.
  • Turn in your service-learning portfolio prior to Fall/Spring Break of your final semester. This portfolio will be read by a team of faculty, staff, students, and community partners.
 
All Citizen Scholars will be Recognized:
  • with a certificate at the ACT Celebration in April
  • by wearing a designated stole at commencement
  • Note: We seeking approval to have this recognized on academic transcripts, too.

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