A TCU tradition since 2000, TCU LEAPS is perhaps the most visible community-wide service initiative, but it’s just one of the many ways the university works to instill a lifelong commitment to serving others.

“We really want to create that sense of civic engagement,” says Rosangela Boyd, director of community involvement and service learning. “That it is something that matters to each person who gets involved.”

This year Boyd’s office launched a new program called “Learning 2 Serve,” which examines issues facing society, such as access to education, protecting the environment and caring for an aging population.

Over the course of the academic year, about 25 issues are spotlighted in a series of workshops, events, films and discussions. Faculty members typically set the stage for the event, then open it up for questions and debate.

But most important, the events bring in representatives from local agencies who talk about how they are dealing with the problem and how students can get involved in finding solutions. One recent discussion about the problems of isolated, older adults included a representative from Tarrant County Meals on Wheels and the director of TCU’s student chapter.

“It’s one way that we are preparing students so that their service is meaningful; to make sure they understand the reason they’re doing it,” Boyd adds. “They can see why it’s needed in the community.”

TCU professors also to use service learning to engage students in their coursework, thanks in part to grants offered by Boyd’s office. For example, English Professor Charlotte Hogg had composition students interview clients at several non-profit agencies to assist the agencies with their marketing needs and update their websites.

Service learning isn’t just confined to campus and surrounding Fort Worth. Boyd says a summer study-abroad program is in the works that will include service learning in France’s immigrant communities.

“It’s exciting to see the emphasis on global participation coming on stronger,” Boyd adds. “Our faculty are expanding the classroom into the global world.”
On the Web: 
involved.tcu.edu