Civic engagement is a hallmark of a Widener education. As a current student, you'll have countless opportunities to give back and gain valuable experiences by engaging in volunteer opportunities and collaborating with our campus, community, and global partnerships.
When you engage in community service, you're more than a volunteer—you're a changemaker, too. These experiences will fuel your leadership development and communication and problem-solving skills—abilities that are essential to success in any career. You'll also forge meaningful relationships and uncover new paths for your future.
Service learning allows you to connect your passion for service with your coursework. By uniting service experiences with classroom activities, you will develop your sense of civic responsibility while achieving your academic goals.
Widener offers an average of 25 service-learning courses each semester, each of which incorporates community service projects as a key component of the curriculum. In these classes, you'll team up with community partners to address local needs.
Faculty-led service-learning trips are immersive experiences where students, guided by Widener professors, engage in community service projects in domestic or international locations. Along the way, you'll gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and broaden your perspective.
Take part in collaborative research projects with community partners. If you're interested in focusing on an issue in the Chester community, please contact us and we will be happy to connect you to a community partner.
Widener's annual Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities program is open to all undergraduate students who have a faculty mentor and a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Your research—which can be a continuation of a current project or exploration of a new topic—can take the form of a creative endeavor such as dance, poetry, or film; an applied project; or traditional research in your discipline.
Community-based work study offers you the opportunity to earn money while participating in community service projects. You'll develop work-ready skills while making positive change.
These prestigious opportunities for incoming, first-year students committed to civic engagement focus on leadership development, mentorship, and community service. Programs include Bonner Leaders, Maguire Scholars, and Pride Service Site Leaders.
Widener's Schmutz Student Engagement mini-grants range from $500 to $1,000 (with total annual funding capped at $2,500). Awarded annually, these mini-grants support undergraduate, student-led projects focused on the city of Chester. Projects must involve collaboration with a Chester community partner and aim to meet community needs, propose innovations, or pursue other diverse opportunities, to serve the community.
College is your time to find your voice and make it count. With election season around the corner, now’s the time to get registered, informed, and engaged. The Center for Civic Engagement and Political Engagement Committee are here to help you feel prepared and confident casting your vote.
Discover how Widener's political engagement team helps you see politics in a new light, showing its impact on healthcare, sustainability, and social justice. Join classroom discussions, meet presidential candidates, and participate in service-learning projects to broaden your perspectives and contribute to societal change.
Leo-Paul Wahl, a biomedical engineering student, received this year’s President’s Award for his academic excellence and service-centered leadership in student organizations across campus.
All eyes were on New Hampshire for their 2024 Primary Election, and Widener had boots on the ground to experience the festivities firsthand.
As a teen, I protested racism by skipping school on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Now that we recognize him with a federal holiday – and I’m an educator – I teach my Widener students about the joys of public service.
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