Community Service & Civic Engagement

The Chandler Center

In response to growing student interest in service opportunities, The Chandler Center was created in 2005 to engage and empower SNHU students to be active citizens. We’re here to help you get involved on campus and in the community through our leadership and service opportunities, meaningful community partnerships and social issue education.

All Chandler Center programs and initiatives are led by students, with support and guidance from full-time staff. Here are some of the ways you can get involved.

Service-based Travel

Explore new places and make an impact through volunteer work with service-based travel. Students describe these experiences as “life changing” and often say, “It’s the best thing I’ve done in my time at SNHU!” One regret we hear repeatedly is, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

There are 2 ways you can participate in service-based travel:

• Faculty-led experiences help connect your classroom learning to hands-on service. An SNHU professor will be your tour guide on these short-term “travel courses” that range from 8-12 days in length. Faculty-led experiences are open to online and on-campus students and typically take place during spring break or after spring semester ends in May.
• Alternative Break programs are open to all campus-based students and are typically hosted during spring and summer break. After learning about the social issues your service will focus on, you’ll travel with other SNHU students in small groups to serve in a new community for approximately one week. Past trips have focused on advocacy, poverty, the environment and disaster relief, to name a few.

Service-learning Courses

Service-learning courses are available each semester as a way for you to combine meaningful community service with academic learning. Through carefully planned projects that address community needs, you’ll apply your coursework in a real-world setting. By extending your learning beyond the classroom, you’ll deepen your sense of social responsibility, civic engagement and personal growth.

Volunteer Projects

Throughout the academic year, you’ll have the opportunity to volunteer for one-time service projects and fundraisers that benefit our community partners. Examples of volunteer projects include:

• Sorting donations at a food pantry
• Making no-sew fleece blankets for the unhoused community
• Assisting at Special Olympics and City Year events
• Building with Habitat for Humanity
• Passing out candy at trunk or treat events

Take 5

You’d be surprised at how much change you can make in just 5 days. Each year, we invite a small group of incoming students to come to campus 5 days before classes begin to learn, connect and serve. We hope you’ll join us for 5 days of making new friends while learning about your new community and serving with local nonprofit organizations.

Social Change Fellowship

The Social Change Fellowship is a two-year program for juniors and seniors who are passionate about making positive change in their community. You’ll take SNHU-399 to learn about the Social Change Model of Leadership and to identify a social problem that interests you and examine possible solutions. During your fellowship, you will:

• Receive a $4,000 scholarship over the course of your two-year program
• Be paired with a mentor who is involved with your identified social problem
• Work with your mentor to create a solution to the social problem
• Present your findings at Undergraduate Research Day

Civic Engagement

True to our mission, The Chandler Center is committed to helping you understand state and local policy and how you can advocate for, or against, policies you care about. And, as part of the nationwide ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge during national election years, the center provides flyers, rack cards and A-frame signs around campus with information about in-person voting and voting by mail, voter requirements and mock ballots. Activities include voter registration drives, free rides to the polls, guest speakers and peer-to-peer voter engagement to help alleviate the stress of our complex political system.

Breakthrough Manchester and College Positive Volunteerism

Breakthrough Manchester at SNHU is a tuition-free, college-bound program for highly motivated, underserved high school students. SNHU undergraduate students and recent alumni are invited to serve as dedicated advisors for Breakthrough participants, providing one-on-one support and weekly virtual check-ins. If you’re interested in making a difference in the lives of a local high school students, contact program director Ben Gentry for more information.

Additionally, The Chandler Center regularly hosts campus tours, workshops and activities for elementary through high school students to promote college awareness and access. Programming features the support of our current student-staff and focuses on having genuine discussions about post-secondary options.