justinhmin@gmail.com
Over the past couple of years, I have had the privilege of working with a group of Cornell students, faculty members, and administrators to strengthen the University’s commitment to service-learning and public engagement. Yesterday, Cornell announced plans for a new Center for Community Engaged Learning and Research, and I couldn’t be more excited. The new Center will “make community-based learning a core academic goal and a top educational priority.” It will also hopefully provide more students with the opportunity to take at least one or two service-learning courses before their departure from the Hill.
For all current Cornell students, I would really encourage and challenge you to find out more about the Center and to consider enrolling in a service-learning course before the end of this academic year. My first service-learning course at Cornell completely transformed my paradigm on education; for me, learning and knowledge were always abstract concepts, and I often questioned how my studies could actually be used to benefit those around me. Service-learning actually bridges this divide between stagnant knowledge and misinformed action. It’s one thing to simply read about the causes of poverty, but it’s quite another to actually interact and work with individuals who are devoid of food and shelter. The classroom knowledge informs the service, and the service breathes new life into the knowledge.
For a list of current service-learning courses at Cornell, please visit here.
