Twenty-Five Years of Domestic Service Learning and Community Engagement Projects: A Framework for State-Funded University Environmental Capstone Classes

A review of recent literature reveals an ever-growing number of papers related to the topics of service learning and community engagement incorporated into capstone classes. The current literature identifies examples of institutions that have sufficient resources to address large-scale industry-funded domestic projects or international projects in underserved countries. These types of approaches are easily out of financial reach for most state-funded universities. This paper will focus on lessons learned from 25 years of implementing service learning, community engagement capstone classes across the state of Oklahoma and introduces the concept of community impact as an important benefit for state-funded universities that can be derived from implementing environmental capstone experiences in local communities within a state. The environmental engineering/science capstone experience at the University of Oklahoma uses practitioner-directed capstone classes that address only “real-world” environmentally focused projects for communities, civic organizations, or environmental authorities within the state. The key conclusions from the paper are that there are numerous opportunities for state-funded universities to implement environmental capstone experiences that can result in a positive community impact, which is an increasingly important factor touted by universities and other entities. The positive community impact aspect of capstone projects is especially important to state-funded universities for student recruiting, promoting programs to nonlocal alumni, and for interacting with state decision makers who can influence university resources.