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Back to News College of Mount Saint Vincent Volunteers Answer Call for Servant Leadership

College of Mount Saint Vincent Volunteers Answer Call for Servant Leadership

1/26/2015

Seton Service and Leadership Program Students are Leaders in Service

Riverdale, N.Y. – The Seton Service and Leadership Program (SSLP) at the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers students an opportunity to experience a greater sense of intellectual growth in service to others by means of community, volunteerism, and relationships. The program demonstrates the exceptional quality and authentic value of a Mount education, both within and beyond the classroom. The students accepted into the program are notable examples of the College’s Leaders in Service initiative.

Since its inception in 2011, SSLP participants have logged 5,268 hours of service, while earning an overall grade point average of 3.55. The Seton Service and Leadership Scholarship, sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of New York, offers full room and board to students with an outstanding academic profile who have demonstrated leadership skills as well as a considerable commitment to community service. The objective for students is to become greater servant leaders in the spirit of Vincent de Paul and Elizabeth Ann Seton, while continuing their pursuit of academic excellence.

“Academic excellence, commitment to service, and leadership: these three pillars are an integral part of the Seton Service and Leadership Program, and we continue to instill these values throughout each student’s four-year journey,” says Matthew Shields, Director of Campus Ministry and Seton Service and Leadership Director.

The SSLP requires active participation in service projects, but the program is not only about volunteering—participants also frequently attend service reflection gatherings. Through weekly meetings at which older students work with younger ones to explore additional intellectual opportunities, the program offers participants a chance to reflect on different philosophies, and how they can work together to address worldly issues.

“The idea behind the Seton Service and Leadership Program is if these students can find one cause that they care about, they will take a vested interest in creating change,” says Kathryn O’Loughlin, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry. “If it is hunger and homelessness, then students will work with LEFSA, a city-wide program founded by the Sisters of Charity that creates faith communities with homeless persons in shelters, drop-in centers, drug rehabilitation programs, and HIV/AIDS residences. If their interest is youth outreach, they can tutor at after- school programs. Throughout the course of their four years, students have the opportunity to focus on social justice issues in our community and in the greater community, and how to resolve them.”

Many Mount students volunteer with Campus Ministry, but only those who qualify for a spot in the Seton Service and Leadership Program can enter the application process. The program, which currently hosts 30 students, is eligible for renewal for four years. All participants must maintain a 3.0 GPA, create and carry out a service project in collaboration with the program director, attend service reflection gatherings, participate in a weekend retreat, and complete a reflection paper and presentation based on their service project.

About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment and leadership in the 21st century.