The University of Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns (CSC), founded in 1983, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with an open house on Monday (April 29) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Geddes Hall Coffee House. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 5 p.m.
The CSC is Notre Dame’s community-based learning, research and service center, a place where faith and action, service and learning, research and resolve intersect. Over the past 30 years, the CSC has grown to offer hundreds of community-based courses, community-based research, and service opportunities that allow students and faculty to better understand—and respond to—poverty and injustice grounded in the 2,000 year-old Catholic social tradition. A recent study conducted by the Center showed that nearly 70 percent of Notre Dame’s undergraduate alumni are engaged in some form of service 10 years after graduation, a testament to the lasting influence of the Center’s programs, which also can be seen in numbers.
In the CSC’s first 30 years:
- More than 18,050 students have taken a one credit seminar;
- 4,800 students participated in the Summer Service Learning Program;
- 6,892 students took the Appalachia Seminar;
- 7,841 students completed an Urban Plunge Seminar;
- 534 students participated in the International Summer Service Learning Program;
- More than 4,200 graduates have entered full-time post-graduate service; and
- Millions of hours of service have been contributed to communities worldwide.
Beyond its own courses and programs, the Center also reaches out to faculty across disciplines to assist in community-based learning courses and community-based research. Last year, the Center facilitated 172 community-based courses and saw 240 students and 27 faculty engaged in community-based research.
All three executive directors of the CSC, founding executive director Rev. Don McNeill, C.S.C.; Rev. William M. Lies, C.S.C., and Rev. Paul V. Kollman, C.S.C., will attend the open house.
Contact: John M. Guimond, director of communications, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-3209, John.Guimond.2@nd.edu