Service learning is defined as a teaching/learning method connecting meaningful community service experiences with academic learning, personal growth, and civic responsibility. It is associated with various school-to-work transition efforts, including apprenticeship, tech prep, outcome-based education, and substance abuse and dropout prevention.…

Undergraduate volunteerism work is discussed, noting volunteer service can be a vital part of an undergraduate education. This service has taken many forms over the years, from folding bandages for soldiers at war, to providing tutorial services for elementary and secondary school children, to staffing medical programs in Appalachia. It…

Public service in higher education is an important function of American colleges and universities. The nature and purposes of higher education can be revealed through three popular metaphors--ivory tower, social service station, and culture mart. It can best be fulfilled through ideas of value, social criticism, social problem solving, or social…

This digest summarizes a full length report of the same title (HE 024 794) which discusses contemporary college students' apparent lack of understanding of citizenship and how it relates to positive career pursuits. A proposal is made to make students more aware of both the need for and the benefit of socially responsible citizens, and for…

This digest addresses the decline in the willingness of U.S. youth to participate in service to the community or nation and suggests service learning as a possible remedy for the decline. There are long-term benefits of service learning: (1) helping to build community support for education; (2) facilitating a closer bond between school, community,…

Service learning contextualizes student learning and provides an environment in which students can acquire organizational, team, problem-solving, and other skills and attitudes necessary for future work and learning. Although service learning has been classified as a form of work-based learning, students participating in service learning receive…

Community service is a voluntary contribution to the commonweal that teaches valuable lessons about the responsibilities of citizenship in a free society. Vital services are provided through thousands of organizations created to meet needs not otherwise provided for by government. Participation in these community service projects help create a…

Public service in American colleges and universities is reviewed. Major controversies related to the mission of public service in higher education are discussed by examining three metaphors commonly used to characterize the nature of colleges and universities: ivory tower, social service station, and cultural mart. Attention is also addressed to…

Contemporary college students' apparent lack of exposure to citizenship, lack of concern for others, and ignorance of how to be involved citizens has prompted a call for involving students in volunteer service at the national level or as part of the undergraduate experience. This monograph begins by discussing volunteer programs as they relate to…

Higher education's relationship with and contribution to the public good emerged as a trend in the higher education literature in 1996. Three major themes are represented: the role of higher education, public relations, and collaboration. The literature and research continue to illustrate the valuable role of higher education in the important…