Service Learning
Our Mission
Inspired by our Franciscan values of reverence and service, the Office of Service Learning assists with incorporating service into the Lourdes University curriculum in order to enhance student learning and foster within our students a spirit of civic engagement and a commitment to the community.
What Is Service Learning?
Service learning provides students with the opportunity to integrate outreach experiences into academic course content. The end result is that these experiences benefit the broader civic community and enhance student learning.
Service learning extends beyond volunteerism. Through service learning, students are involved in experiential learning with instructor-facilitated reflection.
Learning Outcomes
By engaging in academic service learning projects, students will
- Apply course content to real-life situations and experiences
- Develop a broader understanding of and reverence for the richness of human diversity
- Demonstrate a commitment to their role as responsible individuals living in the civic community
Is It Required?
Service learning opportunities take place in the context of coursework or other pre-approved Lourdes projects and is a required component of all undergraduate degrees.
- Students enrolled in a Bachelor degree program must complete a minimum of 20 clock hours of service learning.
- Students enrolled in an Associate degree program must complete a minimum of 10 clock hours of service learning.
Some programs (such as Education, Nursing and Pre-Art Therapy) have additional requirements. For complete information, consult the description of the Core Curriculum found in the Lourdes University Academic Catalog as well as the requirements listed for each particular academic program
From Campus to Community
At Lourdes University, we empower our students by providing more than an education. We teach them how to combine their interests with service to others; how to thrive in their professions and in their lives by going beyond the textbook and into the heart of life.
That’s the value and power of a Lourdes education – having the desire to transform knowledge into action; the ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary; and the confidence to lead others in improving our world.
While at a local high school, I was moved by the compassion and dedication the school nurse had while providing care and service for her students. She has impacted my student nursing career in such a way that I now look at this profession through the eyes of the community.