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Service Learning and Community Engagement


At ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ we seek to provide transformative experiences, and to advance social and economic mobility throughout the region as we empower students to become lifelong leaders. The Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement (AKA Engage Upstate) seeks to contribute to these efforts through supporting students, faculty, and staff in their involvement with our community – with primary focus on curricular activities and faculty development.

Service Learning and Community Engagement (SL/CE, pronounced “slice”) has manifested differently in educational institutions internationally since the 20th century. At ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿, we define service learning as teaching and learning that blends service with credit-bearing courses, derives from a need in the community, defined by a community partner, founded on disciplinary content, and incorporating deep reflection. We define community engagement as collaboration with our larger community (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources to address critical community issues in a context of partnership and reciprocity.

Together, SL/CE at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ seeks to enrich scholarship, research and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.

The Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement (OSLCE) was established in 2015 as a forum that cultivates strong reciprocal relationships between ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ faculty, students and community organizations. For community partners, the OSLCE recruits and prepares students to participate in meaningful service-oriented activities. , the OSLCE provides information about service-learning courses and creates opportunities to engage the community through service-based organizations such as IMPACT and Alternative Break. , the OSLCE builds individualized connections to viable community partners for service-learning course placements and offers learning opportunities in course development and implementation. 

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  • At ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿, we define service learning as teaching and learning that blends guided service with credit-bearing courses, meets a need in the community, defined by a community partner, is founded on disciplinary content, and incorporates deep reflection. By collaboratively addressing identified community needs with a community partner, the service experience enhances student learning by providing an opportunity to observe, test and apply discipline-based theories, concepts and skills. The academic context enriches the service experience by raising questions about real world issues and by providing a forum to reflect upon them. Further, service-learning is a mechanism to achieve a broader appreciation of a discipline, to sharpen problem solving skills and to develop an enhanced sense of civic responsibility (Faculty Senate, 02/20/2015)

    Recognizing different needs for different classes, we offer three distinct course designations: Community Engagement gets students into the community as participants, but without serving a specific need (minimum 4 hours expected), Service Engagement guides students in entry-level service activities (minimum 4 hours expected), and Service Learning enables students to apply discipline specific skills to community challenges (minimum 15 hours expected).

    For more information about Service Learning at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿, please email ServiceLearning@uscupstate.edu.  

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  • ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ has adopted Carnegie Foundation’s definition of community engagement:

    Community engagement describes collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.

    For more information about Community Engagement, please email ServiceLearning@uscupstate.edu or call an OSLCE representative at 864-503-5106.


Additional Resources

  • : A map and searchable list of Community Engagement and Public Service Activities.
  • : A blog about all things Service Learning & Community Engagement on campus.