Seattle University - Community Investment

Community Investment

Investing and partnering with Seattle and the SU neighborhood are part of the Jesuit Catholic mission of education for service and social justice. More than 3,000 students—three out of every four—take part in at least one for-credit “service learning” class by the time that they graduate; nearly 45 percent participate in a service-learning class in any given year. This translates to 185,000 hours, the equivalent of more than 80 full-time workers or $6 million. By comparison, on a national level only about one-third of college students volunteer, according to the Corporation for National & Community Service.

The number of service learning courses at SU has nearly doubled since 2004. One-third of service-learning students continue their community work even after their class has ended and they've earned a grade. Many students continue serving after graduation through an SU program called Magis:Alumni Committed for Mission. In the past two years, nearly 100 alumni have participated in Magis efforts such as the Alumni Mexico Mission Trek and the annual Serve Seattle project. And in each of the past three years, at least a dozen graduates have gone into full-time service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the Peace Corps and Teach for America.

Because SU is part of Seattle's urban hub, students have easy access to a number of areas that offer a wide variety of service learning opportunities, including the Central District, the International District and Pioneer Square.

The economic impact of SU in the Seattle area in 2008 was $580.4 million. This figure is drawn from the total spending by the university, its students and visitors.