National service programs like VISTA and AmeriCorps did not just create volunteer roles. They helped build an entire industry of service in higher education. Laws and funding made it easier for colleges and universities to support service, and campuses turned those policies into real programs, courses, and partnerships.
When we look at the laws, campus service initiatives, and the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification together, a few things stand out:
Service in higher education is shaped by federal policy, not only by campus tradition.
Students experience service through many formats, from one time events to Alternative Breaks and service learning courses.
Institutions are increasingly recognized and rewarded for community engagement, which can influence how they invest in service.
Current AmeriCorps funding debates raise questions about how stable this system really is and who is most affected if support is cut.
Here they are in APA 7 and ABC order so you can copy and paste:
American Council on Education. (2025). The elective classification for community engagement. Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/elective-classifications/community-engagement/
Congressional Research Service. (2009, May 4). Reauthorization of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (P.L. 111-13) [PDF]. U.S. Library of Congress.
Kessinger, T. A. (2004). Service-learning in the United States: Ten years after the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. American Educational History Journal, 31(1), 58–65.
Ludden, J. (2025, May 9). Trump’s gutting of AmeriCorps hits hard, for both volunteers and communities. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/05/09/nx-s1-5383188/trumps-gutting-of-americorps-hits-hard-for-both-volunteers-and-communities
National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, H.R. 2010, 103rd Cong. (1993). https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/2010
Peace Corps. (2009, October 13). President John F. Kennedy’s University of Michigan speech [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydTaoZ9JSGk
U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). VISTA: In service to America [PDF].
United States Congress. (1993). National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993: Conference report to accompany H.R. 2010. U.S. Government Printing Office. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-93JPRT87978O/pdf/CPRT-93JPRT87978O.pdf