Who We Are

The Center for Public Service is an academic support office established by Pacific Lutheran University in 1993. The Center advances the university’s mission to:

Empower students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care for other persons, for the community, and for the earth.

Throughout this work, the Center celebrates reflective service as a rich source of enlightenment and spiritual growth that creates lifelong learners with a sense of commitment, care, meaning and purpose in the world.

What We Do

The Center for Public Service focuses on advocacy and support for service and service-learning; development of strong community partnerships, and availability of resources and training. The Center directly administers three programs:

Service-Learning
Volunteer Center
Community Work Study

The Center connects PLU students, faculty and staff in partnership with the community to serve the community’s needs, encouraging critical reflection on all service, from the challenging inquiry of academic service-learning to thoughtful discussion and creative expression around volunteer and community outreach projects.