Service learning is a critical piece of student experience at The College of Saint Rose. The College was founded with the purpose of providing "full development of the person." At Saint Rose, this means going beyond the classroom, and even beyond campus, into the community that surrounds Albany and the larger world.
Students interested in attending The College of Saint Rose should anticipate that their time with the school will be engaging and motivating. Service learning involves students learning and understanding cultural, economical, and spiritual differences through volunteer activities. These opportunities are meant to encourage students to become critical thinkers who are active, caring citizens of their community.
A large variety of service learning opportunities are offered at the College. Students can volunteer locally at different food pantries/emergency feeding centers, immigrant and refugee services, homeless shelters, schools, and many other places. Previous volunteerism or community service is not necessary; the Community Service Office located on campus can act as a guide for students to find organizations that match with individual student goals.
Service opportunities do not end at a local level at The College of Saint Rose. Over the years students have traveled across the country and the globe. Students with a passion for volunteerism and who are seeking an experience to submerge themselves into service are encouraged to apply for an Alternative Spring Break through the Community Service Office. Through this program, students use their semester spring break as a week dedicated to service learning. Each year, dozens of students from the College visit places like New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina reconstruction, West Palm Beach to work with Habitat for Humanity, or the Heifer Ranch in Arkansas for a global education experience. Internationally, a service trip to Honduras is offered through the Campus Ministry Office, where students are immersed into the poverty-stricken country and learn about the culture there.
Other service trips are offered that do not require as much travel. Each year students from the Community Service Office visit United Nations headquarters in New York City. Students can also visit Washington, D.C. with the Campus Ministry Office to learn about the economic hardships that people face right here in the United States.
How involved students at The College of Saint Rose would like to be with service learning is up to them. While some classes require volunteer hours, many students find through this requirement that community service has become an integral part of their lives. Students who attend Alternative Spring Break trips often return to campus with a different view of the world, one in which they appreciate what they have and have a passion to help others have more. These kinds of experience help define the student population at The College of Saint Rose and they live up to the goals of the original founders.
