Dominican University of California is a private university that integrates the liberal arts and professional programs. The University is situated in San Rafael, 12 miles north of the Golden Gate bridge. Current enrollment is around 1800 students, 71 percent of whom come from ethnically diverse backgrounds and 23 percent are the first generation in their family to attend college. Enrollment is composed of 75 percent undergraduate students and 25 percent graduate students in master’s programs.

The University was founded in 1890 by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael. Although the Sisters turned over control of the University in the 1970s, commitment to the Dominican values of study, reflection, community, and service continues through our signature program – the Dominican Experience. Every student at Dominican works with an integrative coach and a network of mentors; engages with the community through service-learning, internships, fieldwork, community-based research, or global learning; completes signature work; and crafts a digital portfolio that captures their learning goals and achievements.

Dominican students have been fully engaged in the community through service-learning designated classes that have been robustly offered primarily through the general education programming as well as through professional internships and field placements that are integral to most majors. Dominican has been an active member of Campus Compact since 2004 and has had the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s Community Engagement Classification since 2008. Dominican has continued to expand its role in the community while implementing effective practices in community engagement that deepen student learning and honor community knowledge.