(NAICU / Risdon Photography)
DePaul President A. Gabriel Esteban, Ph.D., participated in a panel discussion on building university-community partnerships at the annual meeting of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 3. His presentation focused on DePaul’s Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning and its impact on the community as well as students. Moderated by Wim Wiewel, Ph.D. (left), president of Lewis & Clark College, the panel discussion also featured Paul Pribbenow, Ph.D. (right), president of Augsburg University.
Every year, the Steans Center supports more than 4,000 students. Hundreds of faculty partner with community organizations, teaching more than 200 service learning courses per year. As part of this coursework, students provide service or research that directly benefits the organization, and in turn, they receive a hands-on learning experience. The Steans Center collaborates closely with faculty to integrate service learning into the curriculum, offering training workshops every quarter.