Why Service Learning?

Service Learning is a method by which students learn and develop intellectually through the combination of traditional classroom work and structured community service. Students reflect upon their experiences in the community and integrate what they learn into their academic courses, using the Service Learning component as an additional text. In the end, students learn from real-life experiences, which enhance their understanding and make their course work more real and personal. At the same time, the students meet a critical need in the community. An equal reciprocal exchange of giving, receiving, and understanding takes place between the university and the community.

Background

The Service Learning Program is a student fee-funded program that enables students to volunteer with various internship placements and volunteer opportunities. We also provide upper-division credit for those who qualify. The SLP connects students with the greater Eugene community, including public schools, non-profit organizations, and many more. Students gain real-world experience and the community organizations receive the staff support they need.
The Service Learning Program has a long-standing history with the University of Oregon. Beginning in 1969, graduate student Judith Coffey Saunders founded the ESCAPE program, which stood for Every Student Caring About Personalized Education. Saunders had a vision of students leaving lectures, textbooks, classrooms, theory, and the campus behind and diving into the outside world. She envisioned students headed into the world armed with knowledge, a desire to serve others, and a quest to experience life instead of simply reading about it. ESCAPE grew in size and focus, slowing adding students and divisions to accommodate the diverse needs of students on campus.
In 1996, the program changed its name to the Community Internship Program, or CIP. The CIP aimed to provide students with internship opportunities in the community, working specifically with the College of Education. With the support from the College of Education, the CIP was granted legitimacy and given permission to grant credit to students for attending their seminars.
As the CIP has transitioned to the Service Learning Program throughout the 2006 to 2007 academic year, the program and its staff members have been able to expand the range of services available to students. The SLP currently offers a wider range of opportunities, more consultation services, more hands-on community events, and the numbers are growing. As we grow outward and upward, we look forward to improving the volunteer and internship experiences for students on campus.