“The Plunge”
When it comes to “making a difference in the world by integrating learning and citizenship,” the University makes certain students have structured opportunities to explore their convictions and act on their passions through the efforts of the Rockford University AmeriCorp Vista and the Jane Addams Center for Civic Engagement. One example of such an activity is the Rockford University Plunge, a long-standing tradition where students spend a morning during new student orientation working in small groups and doing needed projects for several community agencies in the Rockford area, now linked through their First Year Seminar course. Additional opportunities are also sponsored throughout the year, like the Martin Luther King, Jr. day of service.