| Created with a purpose to pay college students for community service activities, the Federal Work-Study Program began mandating community service in 1992. Since then three presidential administrations have called for 50% of schools' allocations, up from the current seven percent, to be used for service activities. Meanwhile, FWS funding has declined in real dollars for two decades.;Little research focuses on this disconnect or on paid community service. Instead, a growing body of research examines the effects of community service, mainly through the lens of service learning, and of paid employment on student development, higher education, and local communities. These studies demonstrate largely positive outcomes for both participant and community.;To better connect these topics and address this gap, this qualitative study employs an in-depth case study approach to describe, examine, and analyze FWS service at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). Penn administrators who coordinate FWS service activities were interviewed to determine the types, structure, and integration of paid work-study across the University. Various federal and institutional literature, manuals, and websites provided additional information by way of document analysis. Finally, data on FWS usage added perspective and scale to the discussion.;This study finds Penn, located in West Philadelphia and having one of the largest FWS allocations and endowments in the nation, has a tradition of service manifested in both its vision and current strategic planning. Institutional collaboration has enabled Penn to devote over 20% of its FWS allocation to service activities, far exceeding the federal mandate. Of particular interest here are the structures and mechanisms for providing meaningful paid community service. This study also illustrates how Penn has developed other paid service opportunities, collectively termed 'service earning', to buttress and expand the federal program.;Findings suggest meaningful service requires infrastructure in marketing, orientation, training, reflection, community partnerships, and institutional collaboration. While Penn has been largely successful, challenges still exist with infrastructural support. To strengthen and expand service earning, Penn must continue to innovate and collaborate in this space; it also needs to think more strategically about how it uses its FWS allocation. |
