Top-notch Program
Chalk up more national recognition for the service-learning programs administered by the Tulane Center for Public Service.
Student Brendan Carter, second from right, has mentored the drum line of the Lafayette Academy Charter School band. (Photo by Paula Burch-Celentano)
“For the second year in a row, we have been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as having one of the top service-learning programs in the country,” said Vincent Ilustre, executive director of the center.
Tulane is one of 29 colleges and universities listed as the top institutions for service-learning programs by the magazine, which publishes annual rankings of academia in a variety of categories.
The magazine's website explains, “In service-learning programs, volunteering in the community is an instructional strategy and a requirement of a student's coursework. The service relates to what happens in class and vice versa.”
Tulane, Loyola University in New Orleans and Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., are the only three institutions in the Gulf South to be named to the list.
After Hurricane Katrina, Tulane began requiring that all undergraduate students complete a specified number of service-learning hours, which are connected to their coursework. The Center for Public Service administers this academic program in partnership with organizations in the New Orleans community and international groups.
