Vision, Mission, and History
THE CENTER FOR SERVICE AND LEARNING
Vision: We will instill in the heart and mind of every student a desire to give lifelong service.
Mission: Our mission is to provide every student with a meaningful service opportunity, following our Guiding Principles of Safety, Respect, Meaning, Revelation, Selflessness and Reflection.
The Center for Service and Learning supports the fourth Aim of a BYU Education—“lifelong learning and service”--by coordinating service opportunities in the local community for BYU students.
In order to fulfill this mission, the Center offers over 70 community service programs, which serve individuals who have cognitive or physical disabilities, children and the elderly, at-risk children, and provide humanitarian service. Some of these programs originate in the Center, but many of them are aligned with non-profit agencies in the community, such as Habitat for Humanity, Community Action, and Best Buddies. Each community service program is administered by student leaders, all of whom are volunteers.
Through the Center 18,875 BYU students volunteered 87,580 hours of service during 2019. The IndependentSector.org website values each hour of volunteer service at $25.43 in Utah. Consequently, the economic impact of those hours of service is estimated to be over $2.2 million. But the true impact is in the academic, social, spiritual, and leadership growth of the students who are participating. The habits of service they are developing will continue to contribute to their lives and communities far into the future.
