Dear Editor,

The Center for Public Service at Tulane University would like to clarify a statement attributed to Cade Cypriano, Loyola’s Student Government Association President, in the Feb. 5 issue of the Maroon regarding our public service graduation requirement.

In the article, Cypriano incorrectly identified Tulane’s public service program as community service-based only.

This is untrue. The public service graduation requirement, implemented by Tulane in 2006, is highly academic in nature and is based upon the established pedagogy and principles of service learning.

The Center for Public Service’s mission is designed to reflect our commitment to merging academic inquiry with sustained civic engagement — as part of every student’s core curriculum.  

As the first Research I institution to do so, Tulane has achieved this goal by offering more than 100 service learning courses each semester as well as facilitating a public service internship program and other specialized opportunities such as a public service fellows program.

That being said, we also work in conjunction with the university’s student affairs office to offer additional community service and outreach projects for those students, staff and faculty interested in volunteering on an individual or short-term basis.

We commend Loyola University for its interest in establishing a service-learning program and look forward to sharing our experiences and serving as a resource for your community.

If you would like additional information on our service-learning programs and graduation requirement, please do not hesitate to contact the Center for Public Service at 862-8060, or via the Web site at http://tulane.edu/cps.  

Sincerely,
Vincent Ilustre
Executive Director, Center for Public Service
Tulane University
[email protected]