ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½

Susan Sanning of the Center for Careers, Life, and Service mentoring students

Social Responsibility and Service

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ians are committed to learning, leading, and collaborating across difference for the common good.

For more than 175 years, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ has challenged students to connect learning with action in pursuit of the common good. Today, civic learning is woven throughout the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ experience — from the classroom and research opportunities to community partnerships, dialogue, leadership, and public problem-solving. You'll graduate prepared to understand complex challenges, collaborate across differences, and contribute thoughtfully to your communities.

  • Four students crouch in front of a garden bed of soil under the supervision of a biology professor.

    It's part of who we’ve been from the very beginning, and it is connected to a commitment that continues to evolve.

    ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ was founded by abolitionists, and that ethos has driven our college ever since. We’ve long been recognized as one of the top volunteer producers for the Peace Corps.  And we spawned the Social Gospel movement, trained the architects of FDR’s New Deal, educated the inventor of the microchip, and graduated critics, comedians and world leaders who are shaping society.

    That commitment continues today through teaching, research, community partnerships, and civic leadership across the College.

  • Students and Ryan Solomon Serving at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Community Meal

    We put learning into action — ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ians understand that our collective work is never done.

    Civic learning happens throughout the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ experience. Students examine complex public issues, engage with communities, and connect classroom learning with real-world challenges. Through these experiences, they develop the knowledge, relationships, and leadership skills needed to contribute thoughtfully and effectively to the common good.

    serves as one of the College's primary resources for civic learning and community engagement. CEI connects students with community-engaged learning, service opportunities, civic dialogue, social innovation, and community partnerships while collaborating with faculty, academic departments, student organizations, and community partners across the College.

    Students engage with more than 80 community partners through community-engaged courses, service, internships, dialogue programs, leadership experiences, and collaborative projects. Whether working alongside local nonprofits, participating in community-based research, facilitating conversations across differences, or developing innovative responses to public challenges, students connect their academic interests with meaningful civic engagement.

    Many civic learning experiences also encourage students to examine the systems that shape complex social issues. By combining disciplinary knowledge with collaboration, reflection, and community partnership, students learn to approach change thoughtfully rather than assuming every challenge has a simple solution.

  • Nathan Ruger standing in his blue Blank Park Zoo shirt feeding four alpacas.

    How ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ians engage:

    • Become a neighbor, not just a volunteer. Through  and the , ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ians take on sustained roles with local organizations and become part of the work already happening in the community. They have helped build and sustain efforts such as the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Community Fridge, tutored local children, supported environmental projects, and contributed to community organizations. The work starts with showing up — and grows through relationships, shared goals, and learning what matters to the people around you.
    • Work with community partners on a question that matters to both of you. Through , ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ians have collaborated with local teachers, nonprofit leaders, farmers, artists, and others on projects shaped by shared interests and goals. Students in the classes bring their own knowledge and skills; community partners bring expertise and experience that can change what students understand.
    • Follow a problem until you can see the whole system. Through programs such as , ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ians trace the connections among communities, institutions, policies, social and economic forces, and shared values that lead to challenges such as human trafficking or healthcare access limitations. Mapping the system means asking not only what is happening, but what is driving the challenge, who is already working on it, and where there may be opportunities to act together.
    • Build what makes lasting change possible. Through the program, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ians encounter new ways to understand complex challenges and develop the skills to create social and environmental change. Initiatives such as the  give students opportunities to practice those skills—listening across differences, building relationships, finding shared goals, and working with others to build what moves ideas toward action.

At ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, civic engagement is not a single program or experience — it's an approach to learning. Across the College, students are encouraged to connect knowledge with action, build authentic partnerships, and develop the skills to contribute to thriving communities throughout their lives.

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