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Service learning and faculty involvement.

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Abstract

This paper begins with an overview of service learning programs at colleges of business and specifically details faculty/student involvement in the service learning process at Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT. and its positioning with regard to other similar programs. The paper also highlights three specific areas of program differentiation; its Problem Based Service Learning program, a Community Based Service Learning program nationally recognized by Campus Compact, and a globally focused service learning program established between its students in the College of Business and students in an elementary school in Nepal.

Service Learning in Colleges of Business

Service learning provides a viable transition from classroom to an environment where their classroom knowledge is tested and put into practice. "The business school's very mission is enmeshed with a commitment to interact with and improve the business communities that surround the campus" (Black, 2002, p. 1). In her article, Incorporating Service Learning into the Business Curriculum, Genie Black, Arkansas Tech University, references the importance of service learning in business schools by stating that, "the business school aspires to prepare its graduates for personal and professional success in an evolving global environment. In order to achieve these goals, business schools must continually find ways to allow students to learn by practical application. Internships may be the ultimate application of classroom knowledge, but this may be impractical for all students as well as for the business school. Thus, other avenues for providing students with the opportunity to learn by application must be sought. Service learning presents a viable solution" (Black, 2002, p. 5).

In his article entitled, Service Learning and International Business Education, Ilan Alon, Associate Professor of International Business at Rollins College points out that business schools have been under increasing scrutiny, especially by their accrediting agencies, to provide opportunities that allow their students to put into practice the theories they learn in the classroom (Alon, 2004, p. 1). Although concentrating on opportunities specifically relating to international business, the author highlights issues relating to many business disciplines. He specifically mentions that various experiential learning and service-learning models exist and that regardless of discipline they all deal with the same issues. At Arkansas Tech University "service learning approaches enhance student preparation for the new challenges of today's business world by helping students to understand a variety of issues such as diversity, ethics, social responsibility, illiteracy, globalization, and the digital divide" (Black, 2002, p. 11).

Service Learning at Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart...

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