Wash U Named a Top School for Community Service

Washington University has been named one of the top colleges in the nation for community service by Volunteen Nation.

The helps promote organizations throughout the nation that provide volunteer opportunities for teenagers and students. In a recent blog post, the group praised Wash U for its high community service participation rate among students.

“Its Gephardt Institute makes their involvement in service easy by helping students discover creative ways to serve that fit their personalities,” the blog post states. “There are also programs like Science Outreach, which connects Wash U to underserved K-12 school districts, and resources such as the Office of Government and Community Relations, which allows organizations and/or agencies to request volunteers through the school.”

According to the university’s Community Service Office, 68 percent of Wash U students volunteer during their college career and 23 percent do so during all four years.

Stephanie Kurtzman directs the community service office and serves as associate director of the Gephardt Institute for Public Service. She attributed the statistics to two factors.

“I think it’s a combination of our students entering with a deep ethic of community service and a culture of community service on the campus,” she said.

Although the university works hard to facilitate volunteer opportunities, Kurtzman said, the focus is on empowering students to create projects on their own.

“A lot of the major programs are student-led and student-created,” she said.