Service Learning
Bulldogs Give Back
Some of our students ease local hunger, others pursue public health efforts overseas, and some even join the Peace Corps. Whatever you do, you’ll be in good company: Drake students, faculty, and staff contribute more than 230,000 hours of service a year, through classes, student organizations, athletics teams, fraternities and sororities, residence life, or a final capstone experience.
A Culture of Service
At Drake, service is as natural as heading to Dogtown or earning an internship. It’s just something we do. Give back through classroom projects, with student clubs and organizations, or on your own time.
%
Of Drake students perform community service before graduation.
+
Partnerships with nonprofits and schools where you can serve.
Colleges hold the Carnegie Foundation’s Classification for Consumer Engagement, including Drake.
Service Learning Opportunities at Drake
Helping others goes beyond a mission statement to an ethos we embody every day and wherever we happen to be. From volunteering to community outreach initiatives, this is how (and where) Bulldogs uplift the world.
Community Engaged Learning Courses
Many Drake classes incorporate community activities directly into the syllabus—a great way to see how your education can make a real difference.
Impact Explorers
Want to help but don’t know where to start? As an Impact Explorer, you’ll learn about all the ways you can get involved on campus and in the Des Moines community.
Student Service Organizations
Build housing through Habitat for Humanity, recover leftover food with Next Course, or find another opportunity to give back through one of our student service organizations.
Volunteer Opportunities
The key to getting involved is right in your hand. Check DUGood to browse all upcoming events and initiatives and sign up to volunteer with any of the 100-plus groups and schools that partner with Drake.
Trainings and Conferences
Attend a conference on community engagement nearby or even in another country. Scholarships are available from the Office of Community Engaged Learning and Service.
Employment Opportunities
Turn your commitment to service into a job: work as a Community Engagement Peer on campus, or find a Federal Work-Study position with one of our off-campus partners.
On-Campus and Community Programs
Change happens when we make it happen. Partnerships arranged through our Office of Community Engaged Learning and Service have addressed community gardening, food insecurity, and more.
Civic and Voter Engagement
Bulldogs have not only petitioned for a campus polling place every election cycle since 2008 but use it. In 2020, more than 80 percent of students voted in the presidential election.
Events
At Drake, everyday acts of service build the empowering future we envision. And on two occasions in particular, we encourage our entire community to make a special effort to pitch in.
Civic Action Week
When spring arrives, we turn up for service with a week of events meant to foster change. Be inspired by activists, break down waste in our compost pile, or choose from many other options.
MLK Day of Service
Every year, we honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by encouraging everyone at Drake to join the Des Moines community and act in his name.
Service Learning and Outreach Resources
You don’t need an invitation! Whether you want to volunteer for a day, a week, or a year—or even full-time—these resources show you where you can help.
How We Serve Des Moines
Drake gives back to the Des Moines community the best way we can: by using our talents and resources to help those in need. From one of Iowa’s largest Head Start programs to our legal clinics and Executive Education and entrepreneurship programming, our efforts stimulate the local economy and make justice more equitable.
The Career Benefits of Service Learning and Community Outreach
Service learning and volunteering are extensions of the learn by doing approach that’s central to the Drake experience. As a result, students come to understand that building a better world begins with acting upon and realizing the impact of their ideas.
Gain True Blue Skills
Employers seek qualities such as problem-solving, personal responsibility, and communication. You can’t study them in a book, but you can build them through practice—like the kind you’ll get volunteering.
Grow Your Network
When you get off campus and into the community, you’ll connect with leaders and their own organizations. Those relationships can flourish into something bigger, such as internships, referrals, and more.
Polish Your Résumé
You care deeply about the world around you. That’s uncommon—and something employers value. Your service demonstrates your commitment and could earn you recognition before you graduate.
Recent Stories and Projects
Take the Next Step
Progress begins with you and all the doors you’ll open for others along the way.
