CSU Monterey Bay has become a recognized national leader in the field of service learning. CSUMB is unique in higher education, having made service learning a required element of the academic program. Students learn about community involvement and social change through required service learning courses in both their lower division general education program and in their major. Each academic year, 50% of CSUMB students enroll in service learning courses, contributing thousands of hours of work to over 200 schools, non-profit organizations, and government agencies in the region.
CSUMB's outcomes-based academic program, and its campus-wide commitment to issues of diversity and social justice, further distinguish CSUMB's service learning program. Through service learning, all CSUMB students work to develop the knowledge, skills ,and attitudes to participate sensitively in multicultural communities, and to work effectively to address deep-seated social inequities. The goal is to help CSUMB students become multicultural community builders able to work effectively in a diverse society to create more just and equitable workplaces, communities, and social institutions.
In 2006, CSUMB was one of three universities in the nation to receive the White House President's Award for Excellence in Higher Education Community Service. Over 500 universities applied for this award in its inaugural year, confirming CSUMB's role as a national leader in the field of service learning. CSUMB has remained on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction every year since.
The Service Learning Institute is the home of CSUMB's award-winning service learning program: CSUMB.EDU/service