Loras College strives to deepen a spirit of social commitment and civic engagement among students, by providing high impact, experiential learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom.

Academic and co-curricular programs support students in their quest to become active learners, reflective thinkers, ethical decision makers and responsible contributors. Community-based learning in courses, internships, study abroad experiences and other high impact practices challenge students to come to know more about themselves, their gifts and how they will make meaning and contribute to the world in responsible ways.

Working strategically with the city of Dubuque other colleges and universities in Dubuque on common community priorities will support our mission as a Diocesan college.

Strategic and targeted partnerships, in support of the city’s comprehensive plan, will guide the civic action plan.

Loras strives to create a system-wide commitment to community.

• To move from individual courses that support community needs, to an institutional commitment that systemically addresses common goals, will require campus discussion and professional development. Faculty on the Civic Action Planning Team prioritized these needs as well as the need for faculty leadership in embedding civic engagement within the curriculum. Proposed by faculty champions of engaged learning and research, a faculty fellows program has been deployed in 2017-18 to support curricular and faculty development.

Loras strives to integrate curricular and co-curricular civic engagement opportunities into seamless learning experiences.

• Students serve our community through their strong participation in many Student Life programs, including athletics, Campus Ministry and Peace & Justice organizations. Loras has a nationally recognized Dance Marathon program and a number of cocurricular service opportunities. Integrating structured reflection into these experiences and finding ways to link this learning to students’ academics has been prioritized by the Civic Action Planning Team.

Beyond involvement and individual learning it is essential to find meaningful ways to measure community impact. Through collaborative efforts in the future, Civic Action Planning will strive to challenge the higher education sector in Dubuque to work to strategically leverage strengths, assets and resources in support of the City of Dubuque’s Comprehensive Plan, Imagine Dubuque. This plan is a key tool used to develop policy, inform city budget/community initiatives, and is grounded in the community’s economic prosperity, environmental integrity, social and cultural vibrancy. The plan is intended to serve as a guide for Dubuque’s physical, social and economic development and will inform collaborative civic engagement efforts involving future initiatives at Loras College.