Is community service currently mandated in public colleges and universities?
Community service is typically not mandated or required at public colleges or universities, although many public institutions encourage students to engage in such activities. However, initiatives to require community service of public college and university students are beginning to grow. For example, a Pennsylvania state representative has introduced legislation that would require students at the state’s 14 public universities to perform a minimum of 25 hours of community service annually.[6] In May 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger announced a new agreement between the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU). While that agreement covers various issues, it contains the following statement concerning the role and importance of community service within California’s public universities: Increasing public service to help meet community needs and fostering citizenry that is oriented toward performing community services are high priorities for the state. The CSU
