When Marty Dalzell enrolled in Dr. Dan Lim's Web Graphics and Design class at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) this spring, he had one request of his instructor.

    "I said that I wanted a project that was going to be utilized in the real world," explained Dalzell, a 1996 graduate of Grand Forks Red River who's now a junior majoring in Information Technology Management (ITM) at UMC. "I've worked on fictional projects before and they go as smoothly as you want them to go; you don't have anyone telling you to do things another way."

    Real-world, hands-on learning is the main hallmark of service-learning. Before UMC's Service Learning program was born in 1996, ITM students developed websites for fictional businesses and agencies that, while bolstering their portfolios as they sought jobs after graduation, had no positive impact on the community as a whole. Service-learning changed all that.

    "When you pull some project out of thin air, there's no real client that you have to play phone tag with and there's no client to critique your work," Dalzell said. "If I'm developing a website for some business that doesn't really exist, everything's going to go perfectly because I'm in total control. That's not how it's going to be when I'm a professional in th e workforce. Why wouldn't I want to be exposed to that right now so I can get an idea of what things are really like?"

    One thing Dalzell is definitely learning about is the bureaucratic process.

    "I can only use the Northwest Partnership's logo, all other graphics I want to use have to be approved first, there are rules for the text, and the colors I use have to match the region I'm working with," he explained. "I have to do this, I have to do that. But I'm not complaining. I'm learning."

    With several connections to UMC classes underway or in the works for the 2003-04 academic year, the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership is one of UMC Service Learning's newest and most enthusiastic community partners. Dalzell's website project is tied to the Conservation Security Program (CSP) included in the new Farm Bill passed by Congress. The Northwest Partnership's website includes an explanation of the CSP, but nothing specific about how the new program will affect individual farm operations in the region. That's where Dalzell comes in, said Linda Kingery, executive director of the Northwest Partnership.

    "The goal of this project is to ensure that the Conservation Security Program and other emerging conservation opportunities are implemented in a way that allows producers in northwestern Minnesota to protect valuable soil and water resources and access economic benefits of conservation programs," she explained. "The Northwest Partnership is informing farmers and resource managers about the provisions of the conservation title, and providing input and guidance to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) state and national offices."

    When Dalzell's work is finished, five farm operations representing the full spectrum in agriculture will be linked to the Northwest Partnership website, with the effects of the CSP applied to each operation so site visitors can see a practical example. The link will include a PowerPoint slide show, facts about the CSP and, if a few glitches can be ironed out, an interactive discussion area.

    "We want someone to be able to post a question on an issue and collect feedback through the site," Dalzell said. "We'll also have links to all five specific farm examples in a storyline format that relates each specifically to the CSP."

    One farm operation included on the site is a 500-acre organic farm located in the Red River Valley. Another is a combination livestock and small grains operation.

    "It's as real as it gets, with pictures of the family operating the farm, and a list of their priorities as producers," Dalzell explained. "Then we'll plug the CSP into each example to see how it shakes out."

    Kingery was seeking a cost-effective way to add a link to the Northwest Partnership website that would explain the CSP in practical terms. After meeting with Lim prior to the start of spring semester, she knew that service-learning could be just the ticket.

    "Marty's assistance is valuable, to say the least," Kingery said. "He's helping us bring this information to the entire region, and there are a lot of people eager to digest it."

And Dalzell will have something real to show potential employers after graduation.

    "The opportunity to work on a project this substantial is, I think, a big bonus for me because I can take it to a potential employer and say, 'Here is something I've done, this is how the client is utilizing it, and this is how it's benefiting people,'" he said.