Is there a difference between “community service” and “service learning?
” Yes, there are very distinct differences. Community service is pretty straightforward and is primarily what we are focused on offering here in Student Life, while service-learning is a bit more involved. Campus Compact, a national coalition of close to 1,000 colleges committed to the civic purposes of higher education, defines community service as an “action taken to meet the needs of others and better the community as a whole.” However, service-learning has three components: Activities are “focused on meeting a human need in the community, have key academic and/or civic objectives to be achieved through combining service with learning, and have ample opportunities for students to reflect on their experience ” At this point, our primary focus in Student Life is on community service. The Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Urban Affairs is a great link to service-learning initiatives and related internships. Why is it important for students to participate in community
