Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning

Welcome! The Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning (CCESL) is at the heart of Trinity Lutheran College’s commitment to be engaged as partners in service to and with the surrounding community. 

The CCESL helps carry out our belief that in “serving our neighbor” we help those in need; grow in body, mind, and spirit, and ultimately encounter God who is active in the world. A core value Trinity’s Living-Learning Community approach to education is “learning by doing” – that students learn not only in the classroom, but when they apply learning to daily life.

Service Learning Practicum

The Service Learning Practicum (SLP) program provides Trinity students with the opportunity to both learn and serve in the community by volunteering 3 to 5 hours per week within a local service or ministry organization.  Placement options include teaching in a preschool, tutoring inner-city youth, visiting nursing home residents, serving meals in a shelter, leading youth Bible studies, and more.

Information for Community Partners:
SLP Program Overview
Community Partner Site Response Form
Service Learning Practicum Manual
Site Mentor’s Evaluation

Information for Students:
Service Learning Practicum Manual
SLP Weekly Service Log
SLP Student Self-Evaluation

Practicum and Internships

Most degree programs at Trinity require a practicum or internship as part of course requirements, generally during the junior or senior year. Organizations interested in serving as potential internships sites should contact the appropriate department chair directly. See a list of program faculty.

Speakers and Consultants

A number of Trinity faculty serve as resource persons for organizations in their areas of expertise. For a list of potential guest speakers, workshop leaders, or consultants, see the Trinity Speakers Bureau.