Martin University is small liberal arts, Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) that is located in the urban core of Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1977, the Communiversity serves as a haven of hope for ordinary and disenfranchised persons who need a second chance to change their life destinies. The Martindale-Brightwood community where the university is located and serves has twice the poverty rate of the rest of Indiana, and 35% of the residents live below the Federal poverty level. The university's historic mission is to serve low income, disadvantaged, and non-traditional learners in a freedom and healing-minded environment. Martin University prepares ordinary persons so that they will be able to perform extraordinary feats as citizen leaders in service to others. True to its mission, the university is dedicated to providing service to its neighborhood, greater Indianapolis, and the global community through education, partnerships, service, and collaborations. The expectation of all Martin University students, employees, graduates, and constituents is that they will engage in service to others while promoting, engaging in, and upholding social change and justice. Although service and giving back to its community was apart of the founding principles of the institution as it engaged in such projects as Sickle Cell Anemia and Aids awareness, in 2008 a Service Learning Academy was developed. Service learning was incorporated as one of the six core competencies of the general education curriculum so that every student would develop compassion and a commitment to respecting, understanding, and caring for others while taking action to help others and in making our world a better place. Service learning is executed by all students being required to take the Service Learning and Servant Leadership general education class, through the incorporation of service learning activities in every course, by performing internships, and by university students, employees and its partners participating in volunteer service and civic engagement activities designed to improve the human condition of its community.

Through civic engagement, Martin University has addressed some of the greatest challenges of lack of education, employment, food, technology, health-care, and daily necessities that confront the community that it serves with over 10,000 households headed by single mothers. With the combined collaborative efforts of 79 employees, 1,500 students, and its 100 community partners, the following are some of the examples of civic engagement initiatives that were performed through the Service Learning Academy at Martin University that impacted over 30,000 persons. Under the program entitled Hoosiers Helping Hoosiers designed to help people become self sufficient and self sustaining, Martin University in partnership with the Indianapolis Colts, Gleaners Food bank, WISH and Mylndy television, Rolls-Royce, 75 vendors, and the faith-based community distributed free food to 2,000 needy persons as well as provided education, health, and job-assistance information, children's activities, and health screenings. Martin University was the only university nationwide to partner with an NFL team for implementation of a civic engagement activity during the thanksgiving season, and the program received national media coverage. Martin University also provided volunteers, monetary support and campus space for the Gifts of Grace Christmas toy and clothing give-away for 800 persons. The university provides free tax assistance preparation and financial literacy training for the community. Smoking cessation programs are sponsored at ten community sites. The university partners with Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church Men's Boot Camp to enroll males in college who need a second chance to turn their lives around. University students partner with such groups as the National Society of Black Engineers to conduct neighborhood clean-up campaigns as well as knock on doors to acquaint residents with educational and community opportunities available to help improve their lives. Residents are invited to lunch and other special events designed to encourage them to take the first steps for changing their lives. In partnership with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and other partners, Martin University helped to plant 100 trees to improve the ecological environment of the community. University students and faculty conducted research to determine the impact of the new interstate highway system on providing services to the elderly in the community. As a part of Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, Martin University developed and implemented a program designed to enhance the ability of seniors to continue living independently in their community through increased access to supportive services. With a Senior Citizen Steering Committee and in partnership with the CICOA Aging and In-home Solutions Area Agency on Aging, Marion County Health Department, Martindale Brightwood CDC, and Lowe's Home Maintenance, forty-two of 140 homes were identified that needed enhancements for improved senior living and had changes made such as installation of ramps, hand rails, grab bars in showers, hand¬held (flexible) shower heads, level door handles and faucets, etc. The university also hosts the FAN network for the community to address the digital divide challenge. Law Days are sponsored to provide social justice assistance to community residents.

To address the challenges of educational access and opportunity, the university sponsors a GED Test Center for Marion County, and GED classes are offered at the university. Martin University sponsors career fairs and offers career assistance along with providing tutorial support in mathematics, reading, and writing. The Microsoft Certiport Testing Program is provided so that community residents will be able to demonstrate their employability skills to potential employers. Grant writing training and assistance are provided to community organizations so that they can secure resources. To help improve pre-collegiate education, Martin University partners with public and charter schools. University employees and students donate and collect school supplies for needy students in grades K-12. Through the STEM Leadership Academy, faculty and students volunteer to provide Saturday and after-school tutorial programs for elementary and middle school students at their schools, and computers and Promethean Active Boards are donated to the schools. The university in partnership with NASA installed a NASA SEMAA Laboratory to provide 441 curricular hours to 1,000 disadvantaged students annually in grades K-12 in after-school and Saturday programs designed to strengthen their academic skills so that they can pursue STEM careers. On a global level, students and faculty participate in service learning initiatives in Belize and England.

The Service Leadership Academy serves as a model, because it demonstrates how a small organization can have a major impact by fulfilling its civic engagement mission through collaborative service learning, shared outreach initiatives, and strategic partnerships that are designed for the betterment of the common good. Among university constituents, a greater sense of shared responsibility and a commitment to shared service have been achieved.