Welcome to the Swearer Center for Public Service
Congratulations on your admission to Brown!
Since its founding in 1764 when graduates were urged to live lives of “usefulness and reputation, ” to the establishment of The Center for Public Service in 1985, until today, Brown University has made civic engagement and public service an educational priority. Today, the Swearer Center for Public Service is a national model for engaging students and faculty in community-based work in Providence and around the world, and for exploring the intersections of scholarship and service. The Swearer Center, which has thirteen full-time staff members and over 60 student-staff members organizes its work around three main areas – community-based projects, advising and fellowships. In addition the Swearer Center serves as a resource for students looking for service opportunities and as a hub of debate, study, and action on pressing social issues. Our mission and principles challenge us to maximize the potential for both community impact and student learning.
As America’s birthplace of religious freedom and the industrial revolution, a center for immigration and tolerance, Providence is a fascinating and provocative city that can provide an important context for your Brown education. Providence is frequently touted as a “renaissance city,” and a leading example of new urbanism. At the same time it is a city that faces many of the issues that challenge urban America. By taking advantage of all that Providence has to offer, including easy accessibility to undergraduates, Brown has developed an educational philosophy that supports active community participation as a central component of undergraduate education.
If you have an interest in community work, questions about public service opportunities here at Brown, or want to learn about the different programs and fellowships administered by the Swearer Center, please explore our website and plan to come visit us at 25 George St - just down the street from the Main Green.
The links on the right will get you started learning about the Swearer Center and identifying areas where you might like to get involved. However, if community work is already an important part of your life and you'd like that to continue once at Brown...
UCAAP – A unique opportunity for first-year students!
The University-Community Academic Advising Program or UCAAP has been designed to encourage students to embrace community participation, reflection, and civic responsibility as central parts of a Brown education. Students apply to be part of UCAAP and are matched with Academic Advisors who encourage them to think about the connection of academic study with work and service in the community. The UCAAP Program is an academic advising option like CAP, though unlike CAP, no academic credit is offered for participation. UCAAP is limited to 45 first-year participants and students must apply to be part of the program. If accepted, UCAAP participants will attend a pre-Orientation Institute on Service and Community. Learn More.