Established in fall 2015, the Center for Service & Learning (CSL) engages students, faculty, staff and community partners in service that benefits the university and its surrounding community. The Center supports academic service-learning programs and courses; serves as a catalyst for community-based learning, is home to SFU Serves Ambassadors, and sponsors a variety of domestic and international service mission trips. By helping to engage students in service to others, the CSL is facilitating transformational experiences to create the world's future generation of principled and visionary leaders.
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A heart for service is integral to the mission of the University. Community service is one of the six transformational experiences identified in the University’s strategic plan…Francis 2020.
Our heart for service comes from the lessons that our patron St. Francis of Assisi himself imparted on us. St. Francis taught us that those have been given much are expected to give back. Guided by the Franciscan goals of higher education, in particular the call to serve the poor and needy, students at Saint Francis University put their faith into action.
Our students volunteer thousands of hours each year by participating in community service projects as individuals and as groups. Service to others is embedded in the culture of our University. Service to others is a way of life for our athletes, Greek communities, and every student organization on campus.
Many courses at Saint Francis University require community service as a part of the curriculum. Faculty incorporate service-learning components into their courses to help students make connections between what they are learning in the classroom with their service in the community.
SFUServes Ambassador Program pairs students with faculty who are teaching courses with a service-learning component or who are responsible for large community service projects. The students assist the faculty with logistics which often take a large amount of effort and time. Current Ambassadors are helping faculty with R.O.C.K. R-Space, American Sign Language week, and the Education Department’s B.R.I.D.G.E. and S.M.A.R.T. programs.
Saint Francis University offers a variety of domestic and international service mission trips. These experiences expose students to issues of poverty and injustice as they experience different cultures.
The HUGS (Helping the Underprivileged by Giving our Service) International Alternative Spring Break program welcomes volunteers from all academic disciplines. Health science majors are able to help provide medical care and rehabilitation therapy in rural clinics. Spanish minors provide medical translations services, and business majors conduct a micro-lending program. Over the past decade, HUGS volunteers have traveled to Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Brazil.
The Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge is an example of a domestic service trip. In recent years, teams have gone to South Carolina and Florida.
The University partners with dozens of local community organizations including nonprofits, schools and government agencies who have volunteer and internship needs.
Learn more about becoming an official community service partner with Saint Francis University. Contact us at sfuserves@francis.edu.
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