Office of Service Learning

What is Service Learning? 

The purpose of Service Learning is to enhance student learning of course content with “hands on" civic engagement. Service learning is an academically-based instructional strategy that provides students with greater learning of their course content while being engaged civically in meaningful service within a chosen community agency working in partnership with GCU. Reflection and analysis of student learning contributes to advance the mission of both the agency and the personal and profession integration of the university core values and mission.

Service Learning Requirement at GCU

As of August 2007, Georgian Court University requires students to fulfill the following Experiential Learning requirement prior to graduation:

Two Experiential Learning experiences must be successfully completed:

• One must be a designated or major course that has a service learning component [other than the First-Year Seminar]; and
  
• The second must be an internship, a designated study or travel abroad experience, or another course with a service learning component.

Sections of courses offering a service learning component will be identified on the registrar's course listing for each semester. The service learning component in individual courses will be chosen by students who wish to complete their service learning requirement. This means that not all students in a course with a service learning component are required to take the service learning option. In order to satisfy the service learning graduation requirement, the student will do a minimum of 10 hours of service and participate in a reflection project designed with the instructor. 

Service Learning Travel Abroad / Projects

One of the GCU Goals is University Excellence - Georgian Court University achieves excellence through an integrated academic and student life framework that transforms students in mind and heart and prepares them for professional success, lifelong learning, and commitment to social justice and global citizenship.  Travel Abroad / Service Trips domestic and abroad are vehicles to increase awareness of domestic and global issues and begin the developmental process of transforming concern for social justice into action. In the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, GCU staff and students joyfully extend our energy and resources on behalf of the poor, sick and uneducated, working to relieve misery and address its causes where possible.

View our 2009 Travel / Service abroad to Guyana, South America.

View our 2010 trip help Katrina victims in coastal Louisiana.

In the news

Kate Moore
Career Counselor
Office of Service Learning
Georgian Court University
900 Lakewood Avenue
Lakewood NJ 08701-2697

cmoore@georgian.edu 
phone: 732.987.2602