Our breadth and depth of opportunities for experiential learning and community engagement are unique among our peers and enhance the University of Richmond experience. We are a liberal arts institution that provides countless pathways for applied learning and real-world connections, inside and outside of the classroom — from mentored research to our Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, from legal clinics to entrepreneurial ventures, from local internships to careers, from studying culture to studying abroad. We are fortunate to be embedded in a diverse and interesting region, filled with businesses, community organizations, nonprofits, government agencies, courts, and a vibrant arts and culture scene. Our engagement with our region enriches our University and the greater community.
We strive to have meaningful engagement with our local and global communities and pursue and contribute knowledge to our world.
Experiential learning and community engagement will be a hallmark of the University of Richmond ethos and experience.
To strengthen our experiential learning and community engagement, we will:
Ensure that all students have access to high impact learning opportunities and that we have the infrastructure to support those opportunities
- Explore opportunities to scaffold high-impact practices, stitching together existing opportunities and ensuring our students can navigate them. Structure them in a way that students can connect their learning experience and find a mentor
- Enhance and support the Richmond Guarantee, giving it an infrastructure that builds on the strength of this unique offering and ensures that student summer experiences are as meaningful as possible
- Ensure all students who want to have an experiential learning opportunity can have one during their time at the University of Richmond
- Ensure all traditional undergraduate students who want to have an international experience can have one during their time at the University of Richmond
- Strive to embed experiential learning with opportunities for reflection
Enhance our Career Services and strive to make it best-in-class
- Facilitate meaningful career connections and mentorship opportunities between our students, alumni, parents, and friends
- Continually strive to support Spiders in their career exploration and support them in starting fulfilling careers
Invest in pathways that will connect Spiders with skills and experiences that will enrich their educational journey at the University of Richmond and prepare them for careers and to live purposeful lives
- Expand access to domestic and international internships for our students
- Enhance our support for on-campus student employment opportunities and ensure those who provide those opportunities are well-supported
Continue to seek out, enhance and grow meaningful opportunities for engagement in our city, region, and the world that enhance our mission
- Lean in to our location in a dynamic city and region and our strength in international education to provide more opportunities for local-global learning, exploring global problems in a local context (and vice versa)
- Build stronger relationships with the greater Richmond business community, government agencies, nonprofits, regional K-12 schools, courts, the Fed, etc. and open doors for Spiders to engage with them, and them with us
- Continue to support and enhance our ongoing sustainability efforts including updating the University’s climate action plan
We strive to have meaningful engagement with our local and global communities and pursue and contribute knowledge to our world.