Newswise — Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia is among 115 colleges and universities nationwide earning the highly selective 2010 Community Engagement Classification designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Following a rigorous voluntary application process, the Carnegie Foundation recognized Saint Joseph’s for academic distinction, curricular engagement and “exemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement.”
“Saint Joseph’s truly lives its institutional ideals of a transforming commitment to social justice and to educating men and women for others,” said University President Timothy R. Lannon, S.J. “This distinguished classification is a particular honor for our University community, and a reflection of our Catholic, Jesuit mission.”
The Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement selected colleges and universities that successfully demonstrated institutional commitment and support for community service partnerships, as well as documentation of the impact such programs have had on the community.
“Saint Joseph’s educates for a higher purpose: students are expected to improve the common good by utilizing their skills and knowledge to promote tolerance, compassion and social justice,” said E. Springs Steele, SJU’s vice president for mission. “To this end, we seek to encourage, support and provide opportunities for service and engagement in the local, regional and global communities.”
Currently, 350 SJU students participate each semester in weekly community service at more than 30 locations; 400 students annually participate in service immersion programs in regional, national and global locations; more than 600 students engage annually in Resident Assistant-coordinated service programs ranging from volunteering at the Women of Change Shelter to fundraising and donation drives. One hundred incoming freshmen participate annually in the Philadelphia Service Immersion Program, a four-day service program and orientation to local community needs.
As Saint Joseph’s looks to its future, a major initiative on global and community engagement stands as a clearly articulated goal, noted Kathleen D. Gaval, Ph.D., vice president for planning and chair of the University’s Institutional Planning Committee. “The University’s Plan 2020: Gateway to the Future affirms that ‘Saint Joseph’s will strengthen the link between public purpose and our mission as a Catholic, Jesuit university through engagement in local, regional, national and international communities.‘ It is the very fabric of Saint Joseph’s University.”
Background: Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851, Saint Joseph's University advances the professional and personal ambitions of men and women by providing a demanding, yet supportive, educational experience. One of only 141 schools with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and AACSB business school accreditation, Saint Joseph's is home to 4,600 traditional day students, 750 College of Professional and Liberal Studies adult undergraduates and 3,500 graduate and doctoral students. Steeped in the 450-year Jesuit tradition of scholarship and service, Saint Joseph's was named to the 2009 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for General Community Service. The University strives to be recognized as the preeminent Catholic comprehensive university in the Northeast.
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