Students at Western Carolina University are picking up a few life lessons through the Center for Service Learning.

The Center sets up volunteer work and course-based community service. The aim is to meet community needs and help students develop skills, often in conjunction with their chosen course of study. Students may not necessarily choose whether or not they participate in service learning, as it is incorporated into classes as a teaching methodology much like lab work or an internship.

“If it is effectively integrated, it is so seamless students don’t see it as an add-on,” said Glenn Bowen, director of service learning. “It’s just learning.”

In 2006, the university had service learning as an integral part of 60 courses and involved 4,800 students. The result was 38,500 service hours provided to the community.

The National Survey of Student Engagement found that 21 percent of Western’s first year students participated in some type of service learning, a figure that increased to 51 percent by their senior year. While there is no data on how many students who participate in service learning — either by choice or by class — seek out additional service learning experiences, it appears that the hands-on activity sparks many young minds.

“I smile day after day when faculty members tell me that their students were resistant at first and then at the end of the semester when they were doing their reports students have had a higher experience and a kind of wake up call,” Bowen said.

The Center has a list of 100 community organizations and agencies across Western North Carolina that provides sites for students to engage in service learning. The list includes the American Cancer Society, the Cashiers Historical Society, the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, the Golden Age Senior Center, REACH and Smoky Mountain High School.

Certain agencies tend to see more student participation as some courses and majors naturally lend themselves to service learning — for example nursing and social work. But with a little creativity programs such as construction management also fit the bill. Students in the construction management program have helped build ramps to improve accessibility to disabled persons’ homes.

The Center for Service Learning routinely looks for new ways to connect students with community needs. For example, organizations with a previous history of participation in service learning recently were asked if they needed assistance with computer services. The aim is to be responsive to organizations’ needs and pro-active about meeting them in a way that will educate students.

Organizations within the Western North Carolina community with an interest in becoming involved with service learning may contact the university to learn more about the program. Organizations typically should be a non-profit or small business. For more information, call 828.227.7184.