Service Learning
Faculty members often quip that T. S. Eliot was clearly
revealing his academic inclinations when he wrote that “April is the cruelest
month[1].” As a
present-day professor, he would likely add that it is the longest month,
stretching from 1 April through commencement sometime in mid-May. Each April
brings a free-fall sensibility to our campuses as yearlong projects come
together, valedictory presentations are made, awards are earned and received,
concerts and plays are presented, and athletic playoffs join the mix. On top of that, many
seniors are furiously engaged in interviews and negotiations connected to their
first “grown-up” jobs.
I often joke that we squeeze half a year into six weeks. It
is an incredibly stressful time and a heartwarming confirmation of much of what
we do right, as we see students connecting the dots of their academic careers
into a meaningful holism.
At Susquehanna a remarkable thing happens in the very middle
of the academic maelstrom that is April: we celebrate SU Serve.
Each April, Susquehanna alumni undertake tens of thousands of hours of service
work in support of hundreds of community organizations across the nation and
around the world, and hundreds of our current students press the pause button
during the busiest time in their academic careers to spend a day in service to
others.
This year, I visited a handful of the many sites where our
students were serving our neighbors in a variety of meaningful ways. Education
students were at the Priestly-Forsyth Library in Northumberland distributing
free books as part of PA Reads and leading children and their families through
a variety of activities connected to the book; students from Gamma Sigma Rho
and Phi Mu Alpha were mulching the campus garden and making signs for the new
raised beds; other students were weeding garden plots at the East Snyder
Community Garden; and another group was doing work at the REC (Regional
Engagement Center). Dozens of other organizations throughout the region were also
being served by our students.
When I first arrived at Susquehanna, I thought April seemed
to be a curious choice for this event, but I have come to recognize the importance
of the timing. Our creed is “Achieve, Lead, Serve.” Students undertake their
first SU service project during orientation, and that work continues throughout
their four years on campus. Last year, our students logged over 50,000 service
hours. SU Serves in April reminds us that service to others never stops being
our calling. When we are busiest is when others need us most.
Of the many Susquehanna traditions, the sustained legacy of
service is the most important. “For
unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required[2],”
and we have been much indeed. One of April’s greatest rewards is the
opportunity to see hundreds of young men and women embrace their blessings and
give to others.
