Penn has been ranked first for service learning, according to U.S. News and World Report. Penn was tied with Berea College in Kentucky and Stanford University. The ranking was based on academic and other programs that enhance learning. This is the first time U.S. News has included this category in its annual report.

"I couldn’t be more pleased with this recognition," said Ira Harkavy, director of Penn’s Center for Community Partnerships. "It is testimony to the hard, creative work of Penn students, faculty and staff and their community and school partners."

The mission of the Center for Community Partnerships is to create effective, mutually beneficial partnerships between the University and the community. Through the center, the University participates in academically based community service and direct traditional service that support work in a variety of areas, such as health, environment, schooling, and community development.

More than 120 Penn courses from across the disciplines involve students in service-learning. "In service-learning programs, volunteering in the community is an instructional strategy– a requirement of a student’s coursework. The service informs what happens in class, and vice versa," U.S. News & World Report said in its report.

  Almanac, Vol. 49, No. 6, October 1, 2002