Princeton University

Service and Outreach

Student Volunteers Council (SVC). Through the SVC, undergraduates participate each year in more than 50 student-led community service programs, assisting thousands of residents in the Trenton/Princeton, Mercer County, and Philadelphia area.

Community House. Community House is a student volunteer service organization that is made up of a diverse group of students who are primarily, although not exclusively, interested in providing service to minority communities.

Graduate students. In addition to undergraduate student volunteer efforts, graduate students participate in tutoring and mentoring programs throughout the Trenton/Princeton area.

Princeton-Blairstown Center. Known as Blairstown, the Princeton-Blairstown Center, affiliated with the University for nearly a century, has a mission of helping underserved youth develop self-confidence and a sense of personal and group responsibility. In addition, Blairstown serves as an experiential education facility all year long for schools, community agencies, and members of the University family.

Surplus Equipment Program. Administered by the Office of Community and State Affairs (CSA), the Surplus Equipment Program helps charitable nonprofit organizations acquire furniture and equipment the University no longer uses.

Program in Teacher Preparation. In addition to training Princeton University students to be K–12 teachers, the program provides professional development programs for teachers in area schools. In addition, the Program in Teacher Preparation manages the high school student academic enrichment program that allows students who have completed their course work and received permission from their respective high schools to take free courses in computer science, foreign languages, mathematics, and music.

Princeton University Preparatory Program. Funded by the University and founded by members of its faculty and staff, Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP) is a three-year learning and enrichment program for Mercer County high school students who are educationally motivated and rich in intellectual curiosity but who are financially disadvantaged. PUPP is administered by the Program in Teacher Preparation.

Harold W. McGraw Jr. Center for Teaching and Learning. The McGraw Center, together with the Program in Teacher Preparation, sponsors “Scholars in the Schools,” a program that enables graduate students to prepare and present in local K–12 classrooms lessons drawn from their research areas.

Community-Based Learning Initiative (CBLI). A collaborative effort of students, faculty, administrators, and community experts, the CBLI facilitates community-driven research projects.

Pace Center. As the campus advocate for civic engagement and public service, the Pace Center supports Princeton’s commitment to be “in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations.” The Pace Center facilitates learning, teaching, and action in the public interest and advances the components of civic engagement. It works with hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners to envision, articulate, organize, and implement civic engagement initiatives and educational outreach opportunities. More than a quarter of Prince-ton’s undergraduates engage in community service each year.

Princeton Environmental Oversight Committee. In 1995, the Princeton Environmental Reform Committee (now the Princeton Environmental Oversight Committee), a student, faculty, and staff collaboration, began doing “environmental audits” that provided the inspiration and impetus for the University’s many “green” environmentally conscious initiatives. As a result, recycling is standard throughout campus, Dining Services has significantly reduced the amount of food waste brought to landfills, and indoor air quality has been improved with increased air circulation and air changes.

Office of Community and State Affairs (CSA). Office members serve as liaisons on town/gown issues and help create special events such as Communiversity, parades, symposiums, and other programs enjoyed by tens of thousands of people.