NC State biochemistry major Matt Schmunk (right) waits with 6-year-old fisherman Kamari Wiggins for a nibble during a fishing competition at East Gate Park in North Raleigh. NC State students volunteered to help Raleigh Parks and Recreation as a part of Service Raleigh.
Community Service
Promoting a culture of service
Community service is an integral part of life at NC State. The principles of leadership, service, ethics and commitment guide many of our academic offerings, aided in part by a campus wide Service-Learning Initiative. This program advocates meaningful service opportunities and personal growth.
As a land-grant institution, NC State has a rich history of service. That commitment to community and reciprocity continues with the Center for Excellence in Curricular Engagement. Working together, faculty, students, and community members will address community-identified issues and through critical reflection, engender personal growth, academic and civic learning as well as enhance capacity for individual and collective learning, critical thinking, and leadership.
Service Raleigh, another university wide initiative, links the NC State community with local volunteer opportunities, giving students, faculty and staff a chance to give back to the city we call home. NC State volunteers contribute thousands of hours to projects ranging from working in homeless shelters, painting nursing homes, distributing fliers for multiple sclerosis societies, and helping with campus beautification. Held at the beginning of each Fall semester, Service NC State welcomes new students to campus and pairs students, faculty, staff and the community together to bag meals for the undernourished.
Student Service Initiatives
Many individual NC State colleges and departments sponsor service clubs or service initiatives, as do most fraternities and sororities as well as all ROTC programs. NC State’s commitment to service is most evident, however, in the many student service organizations that are devoted to volunteerism. The most prominent of these is the Center for Student Leadership and Ethics, CSLEPS sponsors workshops, seminars, conferences, speakers and special events throughout the year while linking students with local and global volunteer opportunities in areas like animal protection, environmental concerns, elder issues, education, healthcare, hunger, mentoring, tutoring and other fields. The center also sponsors two of NC State’s most popular student service options: the Alternative Spring Break Program and the Alternative Fall Break Program. These initiatives encourage students to devote their semester breaks to service projects locally and abroad, often working with outside organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the MANNA Food Bank.
Helpful Links
Making a Difference
NC State’s many service activities benefit communities and causes around the world. From hunger to the environment to education, healthcare, human rights, economic development, youth and much more—there’s always a service initiative that gives you an opportunity to help make the world a better place. Find out about current volunteer opportunities.