Why is it important for students to participate in community service projects?
We only have four or five years from the time students arrive on campus until they graduate to teach them to experience the world differently than they did when they came to UB. When students step into the lives of those they serve, they learn lessons about people that they don’t forget in an afternoon. There is so much potential to change lives, communities and nations if students learn or develop their sense of civic responsibility. As is the case with teaching, community service has a ripple effect. The impact is immense and difficult to measure, yet we believe in Student Life that community service is a vital component to a college education. Alexander W. Astin, professor of higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles and director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, reported in a 1996 study that there was a “direct link” between the amount of time a student spends volunteering during college and the commitment he or she has to volunteering post-gra
