About CSA

The Pam Rector Center for Service and Action offers students and graduates a range of opportunities to volunteer their time serving those who are disadvantaged or oppressed. Service opportunities are available both locally and abroad through dedicated service groups or special events.

Participating LMU students develop a well-defined sense of self and confidence and they learn to spearhead meaningful contributions in their own community. First-year LMU students, in particular, quickly learn the university resources available to them and become more engaged in student life, while developing personal accountability, good judgment and independent thinking towards a balanced life.

The CSA also serves as an on-campus resource for faculty and students working to integrate Community-Based Learning programs into their curricula.

Contact CSA

Email: csa@lmu.edu
Phone: 310-338-2959
Location: St. Robert's Annex

Loyola Marymount University
Center for Service and Action
St. Robert's Annex
One LMU Drive, MS 8450
Los Angeles, CA 90045-2659

History of Center for Service & Action

1982: Educational Participation in Communities Program

In 1982, Mr. Richard Riordan and Fr. Donald Merrifield, SJ, President of Loyola Marymount University, signed an agreement establishing the Educational Participation in Communities Program (EPIC) Program for Community Service. Mr. Riordan endowed the EPIC Program in 1983 for the purpose of promoting, coordinating and supervising volunteer service with charitable agencies among Loyola Marymount University undergraduates.

1999: Center for Community Service and Internships

In the fall of 1999, EPIC was renamed the Center for Community Service and Internships (CCSI). The new name more succinctly and aptly described the function of the office in linking students with community service or assisting students in internships.

2000: Center for Service and Action

In the summer of 2000, CCSI was renamed the Center for Service and Action (CSA). The office was moved from Career Development Services (CDS) and became a department under the Dean of Students. It is hoped that this change would allow a better integration of community service with the many clubs, Greek Societies, Service Organizations, and residence halls.

Mission

The Pam Rector Center for Service and Action (CSA) is a hub for students, staff, and faculty who seek to form a more just society through partnerships with local and global community partners. CSA supports all forms of community engagement including direct service, immersion, philanthropy, advocacy, political engagement, and community-based learning.  

Values

Community: We intentionally welcome and celebrate students from diverse backgrounds. We provide students opportunities to expand their relationships and involvement outside of LMU through engagement with local and global community partners. We honor the wisdom held in these communities and strive to learn with one another as co-creators, co-teachers, and co-learners. 

Social Action: We commit to being people for and with others. Our sense of solidarity and interconnectedness moves us beyond compassion to social action. We aspire to form leaders who disrupt systems of injustice and oppression and use what they have learned to actively create the type of world they want to inhabit.    

Cura Personalis: We believe in caring for and supporting the wholistic development of all our students, staff, and community partners.  We prioritize their mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being because we care about them as human beings.  

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: We value diverse stakeholders, identities, perspectives, histories, and ways of knowing. We build inclusive communities that value the inherent dignity of every person.