The Office of Academic Service-Learning embraces the Catholic,
Vincentian and Metropolitan nature of St. John’s University.
Grounded in Vincentian social values, the office seeks to
operationalize the Vincentian Charism through the development of
mutually beneficial relationships with community service
organizations in order to instill an urgent sense of personal
responsibility in our students towards to the marginalized, the
disenfranchised, the under-served and the poor through
participation in Academic Service-Learning courses.
We commit ourselves to the core values of St. John’s
University—Truth, Love, Respect, Opportunity, Excellence and
Service. Always seeking to direct our actions towards
academic excellence, AS-L remains faithful to ethical standards and
behaviors thereby enabling students to develop awareness and esteem
for the shared human dignity of all individuals. Through
careful guidance and nurturing by faculty and administrators,
students will be encouraged to serve those in need as a concrete
sign of our mutual commitment to Vincentian spirituality in
action. The essential goals of the Office of Academic
Service-Learning are:
- Provide our students and faculty with an opportunity to share
in the pursuit of wisdom through active participation in their
education by immersing themselves in the human experience.
- Provide community service experiences which combine reflective
learning with the classroom experience and imaginative
methodology.
- Inspire all AS-L constituents—students, faculty, administrators
and community service sites—towards an active participation in the
Vincentian Charism and zeal for service.
- Support and promote educational programs that will develop our
students as effective leaders and engaged citizens on the local,
state, national and international levels.
- Promote an academic environment where students, faculty,
administrators and service sites work together to understand
community needs and suggest viable and socially responsible
solutions.
- Promote a pedagogy of empowerment through service to others
where students are encouraged to extend themselves beyond their
self-perceived limitations towards the role of leader as
servant.