Office of Service-Learning and Community Action

Welcome to our new and improved web site! We hope to enable students, faculty, and community partners to connect with essential information and resources to enhance service-learning at USF and in the community.

The USF Office of Service-Learning and Community Action (OSLCA) promotes the infusion of the service-learning ethic into all levels of the university so that students are inspired and equipped to fashion a more just and humane world.

Students serve at the Haight Ashbury Food Program during the 2007 Service-Learning Preview

Mission:

The University of San Francisco Office of Service-Learning and Community Action (OSLCA) fosters the development of high quality service-learning opportunities for USF students and faculty by:

• Promoting the integration of service-learning into the curriculum;
• Supporting faculty service-learning initiatives that meet real community needs, especially the needs of the most vulnerable members in our neighborhoods; and
• Providing high quality opportunities for critical reflection on service experiences.

Description:

The Office of Service-Learning and Community Action exists to coordinate and support the many efforts of USF students, faculty, staff and alumni in serving the greater community of which they are a part. OSLCA works to match the issues and capabilities of the local community with the resources of the university in order to form a mutually beneficial partnership. Our office helps students to explore the complex interconnections between knowledge, practice, and social responsibility through service-learning and community action opportunities.

OSLCA views community partners as vital collaborators in the learning process. Much of a successful service-learning course, volunteer activity, and/or internship depends on the quality of the service experience. Community partners are critical in helping to frame and guide that experience, adding real-world expertise and exposure to the theories about which students are learning.

We seek service-learning opportunities that will be mutually beneficial. USF students learn from the experience by not only applying classroom theories but learning from the community as well. Community partners benefit from the experience when USF students help meet genuine needs in the community.

We offer individual and group consultation about community service activities and opportunities using our comprehensive online database, and we have a library of resources about service-learning and community action. We encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities.

Office of Service-Learning and Community Action Fact Sheet 2007