Community service learning is an important component of Notre Dame's graduation outcomes which prepare each student to be a woman of impact, locally and globally. We constantly strive to create a mutually beneficial program for the community and our students and to connect Notre Dame’s curriculum with service that our students understand. What they learn in the classroom not only highlights areas where social activism would benefit the community, but also prepares them for the task of service. Our program reflects Notre Dame’s mission and the mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, teaching our students what they need to know for life - and the importance of giving to the community in which they live.

Community Service Learning Process

At Notre Dame, we utilize the IPARD/C model for service learning, a process by which students:

• Investigate the needs that exist in our community
• Plan for a service experience that will address one of these needs, give them the opportunity to use their skills and gifts in the service of the community, and work within their time and location needs
• Take action through direct service
• Reflect on their service experience - what did they learn about the population they were serving, what did they learn about themselves, and what connections can they make to what they have learned in class
• Demonstrate a more cohesive and holistic understanding of the needs that exist in our community based on both classroom curriculum and the co-curricular experience of direct service
• Celebrate the difference that they have made and will continue to make through their service

Community Service Learning Requirements

Students are asked to complete a specific number of service hours on an annual basis. Please view the community service learning requirements for more details.