Community Service Learning

UT Health Science Center San Antonio Named to 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

The UT Health Science Center San Antonio is committed to engaging our community to improve health. Our students use what they learn both inside and outside of the classroom to transform medically underserved communities in San Antonio, South Texas and around the globe. The Community Service Learning (CSL) Program provides a structure to engage faculty, staff and institutional support of these activities.

This university-wide dedication to helping others has earned our Institution a place on the United States President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll* since 2009. This designation is the highest honor a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. Vice President for Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs Dr. Michael Gargano says, “We are honored to receive this prestigious distinction– and owe much of it to the students themselves. They’re the energy driving our commitment and they’re the ones who make it all happen.” Our University is the only health science center in Texas, and one of only eight health science institutions across the nation, recognized by the Honor Roll.

Ruth Berggren, MD, Director of the Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics, which offers the university’s interprofessional CSL program, says, “We are unique among health science centers in Texas in prioritizing community service learning as an ideal way to model interprofessionalism and to prepare a relevant health workforce for our state. We are proud of the leadership our students exhibit, and of their transformation into community-connected healthcare providers who work to reduce disparities and enhance access to healthcare.” More information about the UT Health Science Center San Antonio’s CSL efforts can be found at www.texashumanities.org/cslhome.

*The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll annually honors the nation’s leading higher education institutions and their students, faculty and staff for their commitment to bettering their communities through service. These are institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees, can be found at nationalservice.gov.

As of July 1, 2008, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) stipulates that medical schools make available opportunities for students to participate in service-learning activities and encourage and support student participation.

Service learning is defined as a structured learning experience that combines community service with preparation and reflection. Students engaged in service-learning provide community service in response to community-identified concerns and learn about the context in which service is provided, the connection between their service and their academic coursework, and their roles as citizens and professionals.

Community service learning is the bridge between ethics education and development of empathy and humanitarian values.