Community Engaged Scholarship (CES) at The Chicago School covers a range of professional activities in which students and faculty lend expertise to help partner agencies achieve goals they could not otherwise realize. Valuable applied learning takes place while faculty and student teams assist partner agencies, build capacity, and improve the quality of their services, thereby increasing impact in the community. CES builds upon the three pillars of higher education (teaching/learning, research, service) through community service, community-based research, and service learning.

Community Service

Our community service program links students and faculty to a variety of projects occurring in partner agencies.  While some community service students receive financial aid for providing such services, participation in these activities is completely voluntary—involvement is not a curricular requirement. Because the community service program focuses on the personal and professional development of the service provider in addition to the application of scholarship, participants meet regularly in professionally led, self-reflection seminars to heighten awareness of community needs and develop civic responsibility. 

Community-Based Research

Community-based research involves the generation of scholarship on topics important to the school’s High Impact Partners. Under faculty leadership, students seek to discover new knowledge in order to improve the health and well-being of people in the community. Common community-based research projects include needs analyses, organizational assessments, program developments and evaluations, and critical reviews of literature.

Service Learning

Service learning refers to structured learning experiences that integrate community service with traditional academic curricula.  For example, students participating in the service learning program apply their knowledge through direct service at community agencies as a way to illuminate and crystallize concepts learned in the classroom.

For most service learning projects, students are required to attend and participate in a two-hour monthly Service Learning Seminar. Missing more than one class per seminar may result in disqualification from the service learning project. Students are required to inform their seminar leader as soon as possible if they are unable to attend the seminar.

Click here to read the Community Engaged Scholarship FAQ.