The Liberal Arts in Action: Serving Our Community for a Common Purpose

The liberal arts education aims to graduate students who are productive citizens and contributing members of their communities. Through the Key Center for Community Citizenship and Service Learning at UNC Asheville, students engage with the community through course-related volunteer service such as tutoring and mentoring, working at homeless shelters, and building houses with Habitat for Humanity, to name a few involvements.

Our campus responds to needs nationally and globally—students in the first international service-learning course traveled to Honduras in summer 2006 to undertake natural resources projects related to the country’s eco-tourism industry. Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity organized two trips to the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, while campus departments spearheaded relief efforts and students served at the Asheville Area Red Cross.

Active Citizenship Together in Asheville, the 10th annual service day for freshmen held in fall 2006, produced 2,600 hours of service to the community by 600 new students who tackled revitalization and beautification projects.