As the first Catholic college in Florida, Saint Leo is committed to creating a community that values and advocates on behalf of the respect, dignity, integrity and personal development of all. Saint Leo is honored to have been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll multiple years since it was started in 2006.

Day by day and student by student, Saint Leo University is changing the world for the better.

Center for Values, Service & Leadership

The Center transforms Saint Leo University's tradition of community service into a powerhouse of service learning resources, ideas, technology and educational opportunity. The Center acts as an umbrella organization for the university's service organizations: AmeriCorps, Samaritans, RotarAct Club, international study abroad for credit, and Students Engaged in Rewarding Volunteer Experiences (SERVE). Learn more about the Center for Values, Service & Leadership.

Service-Learning

Education should be meaningful and hands-on. At Saint Leo, you'll find yourself doing more than writing papers and taking tests. You'll find opportunities for engagement—working with local agencies, planning your own community service project—in classes from religion to social work to mathematics. Year-round, our students coordinate Toys for Tots drives, send care packages to overseas troops, and raise money so families-in-need can have Thanksgiving turkeys.

Alternative Spring Break

Travel broadens the mind, and community service raises the spirits. Combine the two, and anything is possible. Past trips have taken students to post-earthquake Haiti, a Costa Rican orphanage and a horse rescue and sanctuary in upstate New York. Students pay only partial trip costs—the University and fundraising efforts cover the rest. You can also join service trips during the summer.

Community Service Day

One day each fall and spring semester, Saint Leo students, faculty and staff come together and donate time and energy to work with local nonprofit organizations. Demonstrating Saint Leo's core values in action, we work with a range of community agencies, including Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Club, Meals on Wheels, food pantries, local schools, area animal shelters and nursing homes.

Community Service Clubs

Our students are do-gooders. The Samaritans unite students of all faiths to work together in creating a better world through social, spiritual and volunteer service opportunities. The RotarAct Club works with the local Rotary Club as a gateway to meaningful civic engagement. And these are just two of our many student groups engaging in random acts of kindness.

Leadership Development

The Office of Leadership Development organizes many educational leadership opportunities, including:

• Leadership Toolkit Series
• Leadership Workshop Series
• Omicron Delta Kappa
• Leadership Mentor/Mentee Program
• Leaders on the Go Program

Leadership Minor & Certificate

Established in 2006, this program connects leadership theories and concepts with your own personal value system. Unleash your potential and improve your community with this rewarding boost to any major. Take four courses for the certificate, or six for the full minor. Learn more about the Leadership minor and Leadership certificate.

L.E.A.D. Leadership Program

The L.E.A.D. scholarship program is a four-year process that supports and stimulates leadership development throughout a student's career at Saint Leo University. Incoming freshmen apply for the scholarship, and are selected based on involvement both in high school and their respective communities. Students in L.E.A.D. take leadership courses and workshops, and get involved on campus to develop skills they draw upon for the rest of their lives.

AmeriCorps

Mentor disadvantaged youth, fight illiteracy, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, and manage after-school programs. Saint Leo receives funding for three exceptional students to engage in 300 volunteer hours during the academic year as part of the AmeriCorps national service network.