Contributions to Jackson County  

Spring Arbor University proudly commits itself to promoting the welfare of the Spring Arbor community and surrounding areas by supporting various endeavors within neighboring communities to advance the well-being of its citizens and to ensure a better future for coming generations. SAU shows its support through cooperation in various activities, events and collaborative efforts in partnership with other surrounding organizations and institutions.

SmartZone Initiative

The Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) Collaborative Support Commitment consists of Baker College, Jackson Community College and Spring Arbor University, who declare to work collaboratively in providing support for the installation and cultivation of a SmartZone district in Blackman Township.  The three IHEs agree to provide a synergistic support network by using an integrated approach to stimulating economic development, research and commercialization. 

SAU participation in arts and cultural activities 

• Ella Sharp Museum -- SAU participates in activities and provides support to the board, as well as supporting and attending museum activities. 
• Jackson Symphony Orchestra -- SAU sponsor concerts and provides support to the board.
• SAU hosts the local home-school band and provides instruction for the band.

SAU employees serve on nearly 40 boards and committees in Jackson County including:

• Betty Overton-Adkins, Allegiance Health System  - Quality Board Committee
• James Coe, Allegiance Health System - Patient Safety Committee
• James Coe, Ella Sharp Museum Board of Trustees -- 2nd Vice President
• Betty Overton-Adkins and Ron Griffith, United Way Board
• Ron Griffith, Jackson Symphony Orchestra Board
• Ron Griffith and James Coe, Ella Sharp Museum Board
• Sharon Joplin, Jackson Academy of Arts & Technology, Board of Directors
• Terry Darling, Western School District, Board Member
• Glenn Yamakawa, Fitness Council of Jackson’s Active Living Task Force member
• Glenn Yamakawa, Michigan Department of Corrections’ Community Liaison Committee

Spring Arbor University staff and faculty also participate with the following local organizations:

Allegiance Hospice Board | Business and Professional Women of Jackson | Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History * | Gull Lake Ministries * | Jackson Area Career Center – Advisory Board for Commercial Art & Media | Jackson Audubon Society * | Jackson Community Foundation * | Jackson Christian School Board |  Jackson County Chamber of Commerce * | Jackson Legacy | Jackson Rotary Club | Jackson Symphony Orchestra * | Michigan Theatre *  | Real Life Ministries * | Salvation Army Board | Southern Sudan Health Association * | Spring Arbor Fire Department Association * | Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church * | Starr Commonwealth * | Trinity United Methodist Church Worship Design Committee | United Way of Jackson | Michigan Shakespeare Festival | Jackson School for the Arts | National Resource Center for the Healing of Racism | Michigan Chamber of Commerce Health and Human Resources Committee | Asian Partners Worldwide Board

*Indicates involvement as an officer or executive committee member of the organization

(This list is not all encompassing but reflects responses from the SAU family.)

SAU actively supports economic efforts and organizations

• Sponsor of Economic Club Luncheons -- provided nationally recognized figure, Murray Teitelbaum, as speaker for Economic Club Luncheon earlier this year.
• Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce Board – staff members serve and have served as members -- sponsor several Chamber events throughout the year; golf outing, Annual Meeting, etc.
• Enterprise Group – active participant
• Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth – active participant
• Jackson Area Manufacturers Association (JAMA) member
• Hosmer Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation held an inaugural conference with several Detroit-area churches to discuss designing a training program to facilitate economic growth throughout the region and especially within the Detroit city limits
• Jackson Economic Growth Internet 2 Project
• Jackson Area Manufacturer’s Association (JAMA) member and contributor
• The SAU Jackson-site donates classroom space to Jackson Public Schools for make-up MEAP and ACT testing.
• Jackson Site has contributed financially to Jackson Community College’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. event to enable underprivileged youth to be able to participate in that event.

Commitment to the success of downtown Jackson

Through the use of the SAU-Jackson site in downtown Jackson, SAU has had the privilege of opening these facilities to others for events that promote our community. The Jackson site has also served as a host site for the Jackson Chamber’s Leadership Academy and the Retail Academy.

Junior Achievement of the Michigan Edge, Inc.

SAU is a member of the Junior Achievement of Michigan Edge Inc., which impacts about 7,000 students in 21 school districts throughout Jackson, Hillsdale and Lenawee counties. The main goal at Junior Achievement of the Michigan Edge Inc. is to ensure that students who participate in our programs will leave school with the tools they need to be financially and professionally successful.

SAU student, faculty and staff participation in the Jackson area

• SAU students serve as writers for the local community paper, The Blazer.
• Spring Arbor University owns and operates four radio stations utilizing professional-grade students:
  • 106.9 WSAE "HOME.fm" is SAU’s signature radio station that covers most of South Central Michigan playing a unique mix of both family friendly mainstream music as well as today’s best Christian music.
  • 89.3 WJKN “The Message” plays a variety of Christian talk and teaching programming as well as a mix of Christian inspirational music for the Jackson community.
  • 1540 and 1510 KTGG/WJKN-AM "Inspirational"  (Spring Arbor and Jackson) 
• A group of SAU students served in Jackson over spring break.  Impact (Jackson) reached out to families in need.
• The SAU Jackson-site employees made a Christmas donation to “Together We Can Make a Difference,” a Jackson nonprofit that partners with several organizations whose ultimate goal is to make the downtown area a better place to live.
• The SAU Jackson-site employees and students have donated canned and dried food items to the Salvation Army during the holidays for a number of years.
• The main campus (Spring Arbor) social work students are active in serving in several Jackson area nonprofits, including the Interfaith Shelter and Partnership Park.

School of Arts and Sciences

• Paul Patton, professor of communication, participated as an adjudicator in Jackson Community College's "High School One-Act Festival" and he served as director for his one-act play, "The Celebrity" with students from Western High School in WHS's "Junior/Senior Variety Show" in Janauary 2010.
• Mark Correll, professor of history, led a model UN in March 2009 for area high schoolers.
• For over 30 years, the art department faculty have held critiques and judged artwork for the Jackson Art Association, as well as hosting local K-12 schools in the Ganton Art Gallery.
• The art department faculty regularly judge the Jackson Camera Club yearly exhibition.
• In October 2009, ten students from chemistry and biology classes went to Warner elementary school and presented science demonstrations to the students.
• In October 2009, students from Jackson Christian schools visited SAU chemistry laboratories and enjoyed chemistry student presentations under the supervision of Dr. Tom Kuntzelman.
• Dr. Bruce Brown, professor of music, and Audrejean Heydenburg, music instructor, are involved with the Carnegie Hall choir concert at the Michigan Theatre here in Jackson.
• Dr. Bruce Brown serves as the conductor-in-residence for the Jackson Symphony Orchestra.
• Chuck Livesay, professor of music, is the college/university representative to the board of directors of the Michigan Choral Directors Association.
• Dr. Terry Darling, professor of psychology, is in his tenth year as a member of the Western School District Board.
• Craig Hayward, professor of health, sponsors weekly community bicycle rides during the summer months, and he writes an article related to physical fitness and wellness for the Jackson Citizen Patriot twice per month.
• Shasha Wu, professor of computer science, directed and taught Chinese language classes at the Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church every Saturday afternoon in 2009 for children in the Jackson area.

Gainey School of Business

• The GSB marketing program continued and enhanced their agency model of learning which benefits local businesses while giving students real-life learning informed by theoretical marketing knowledge. The management projects benefited over 12 different nonprofit businesses in the Jackson area. The culmination of this work in and out of class was the new Accolades program which on the order of the academy awards asks professors to nominate students and groups within a particular major to be awarded an Accolade Star.
• The event planning students planned and successfully hosted several events from the intimate “coffee connection” with Christian leaders in a one-on-one with students to large scale events like the “Let’s Network” and “Women in Leadership” which attracted over 100 community people to the SAU campus.
• Management and Marketing students are working with local businesses in a variety of capacities.
• SIFE is working with InterFaith Shelter, Junior Achievement, and area high schools.
• A Business Advisory Board made up of local business executives works with SIFE members.
• SIFE offers Financial Planning Workshops on campus for anyone who is interested.
• At the request of the Mayor of Jackson, Karen Dunigan, the dean is working with two entrepreneurs who want to start an inner city grocery store in Jackson.

School of Education

• School of Education (SOE) faculty & staff volunteer with others in the community to help local schools like reading to 411 Bennett Elementary School children as part of its “Read Across America” event. SOE instructors John Williams’ and Sally Ingles’ EDU 100 students also volunteer often. 
  • In 2007, SOE received $11,530 from the Hurst Foundation to partner with the Western School District to bring the Concept and practice of Professional Learning Communities to the Jackson community. Approximately 29 Western teachers and administrators and six SOE faculty attended a 3-day conference in Columbus, Ohio.  All six SAU faculty conculted with teachers and principals in the Western School District. 
  • Spring Arbor's EDU 100 students have gone to Warner and Parma once a week for an hour to work with elementary students while teachers met to collaborate about learning, assessment and intervention.   EDU 271 students have gone to the Western alternative school to do the same.
  • In 2007, through a Hurst Foundation grant, the SOE formed a partnership with the Michigan Dyslexia Institute (MDI) to provide training in the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading.  
  • Dr. Kathryn Bell led the MDE Title IIA Teacher Quality Professional Development Initiative Grant – Improving Teacher Expertise & Student Achievement in Writing.  The grant has provided wonderful opportunities for SAU outreach in the Jackson area and schools, as well as enhancing the professional understandings and practices of the teachers who are participating.
  • Donna Bergman's reading intervention class teamed up with Michigan Center’s Elementary School students in a “pilot” after-school reading program. 
  • Five SOE faculty and staff members (and several students) attended JCC’s African American Male Summit, to show support and to enter into discussion with other members of the community about helping black males in Jackson to overcome certain barriers such as family, education and the penal system. 
  • Reuben Rubio and Marci Stanley participated in the Jackson Community Big Read program where they organized several book discussions on campus and the documentary event at the Jackson Michigan Theater - “Justice for My People:  The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Story.”
  • Dr. Miriam Sailors and the SAU Chapter of Epsilon Chi adopted second graders at Jackson Cascades Elementary School.  The SAU students initiated a pen pal program to be used as a literacy tool for the second-graders to practice their reading and writing skills. 
• SAU faculty spoke at over 30 churches and nonprofit organizations in 2007-08.
• Jack Esterline participated on Lumen Christi accreditation team.

SAU contributes significant annual economic impact to Jackson County

• The annual operating budget of Spring Arbor University is $63 million, which includes over $9.4 million in grants and scholarships to more than 92 percent of our students.
• We have over 3,600 alumni in Jackson county. 
• The University has over 750 full-time or part-time employees and adjunct faculty throughout the state of Michigan.
• SAU students volunteer near 11,000 hours each school year – a monetary value of $77,000 ($7 per hour).
• Financial aid program: Jackson Legacy Match (dollar for dollar up to $3000 annually).
• Traditional undergraduate enrollment from Jackson County: 696 students or 17 percent of the student population.