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Experiential learning

Embrace Schenectady...and beyond!

True to our Name, Union brings together academic experiences and community engagement. Through coursework, internships, fellowships, volunteer roles, and participation in community life, Union students Embrace Schenectady through

  • Taking classes built around hands-on community-based projects
  • Contributing to new and ongoing initiatives that center equity and justice in our communities
  • Using research to support local community partners as they tackle challenges and empower residents
  • Serving alongside community leaders to design and lead educational programs and interventions
  • Learning how to build partnerships, overcome obstacles, and develop meaningful services
  • Dedicating volunteer time to intentional experiences that foster collaboration and shape community life
Academics Overview
Majors & Minors
Undergraduate Research
Experiential Learning
Study Abroad
Academic Calendar
Academic Catalog

Union College and the city of Schenectady share a deep, reciprocal partnership that enriches academic experiences and community life by engaging students and residents as co-learners and co-creators. This mutual growth is fostered through intentional programs like co-designed coursework, collaborative research, and shared leadership where students apply their learning to address community-identified challenges and advance equity and justice.

Types of Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is critical to the bold, enduring vision of Union College's strategic plan: Developing every student to lead with wisdom, empathy and courage, in ways large and small, now and across multiple tomorrows.

Images of students and staff engaged in community service

AT A GLANCE

50+ courses

with community-based partners
Explore classes

15,000+ hours

of community engagement completed by students each year
Find volunteer opportunities

200+ partner agencies

nonprofit and government organizations
Meet our partner agencies
95% of Union College students support the programs of a local non-profit organization in their first year on campus

Faculty Spotlight

Carol S. Weisse, Ph.D.

FULL PROFILE

Carol Weisse

Ronald M. Obenzinger Professor of Psychology
Director of Health Professions

Professor Weisse researches systems of care for chronically and terminally ill residents in the community with a focus on hospice and palliative care in home settings. She teaches courses in Behavioral Neuroscience, Death and Dying, Health Psychology, and Brain and Behavior. Professor Weisse also coordinates a community research program that links students with integrated research and service opportunities with local community partners including the Joan Nicole Prince Home.

Pathways of Experiential Learning

Students on a geology field trip take notes while sitting and standing in a forest glade.

Community-Based Learning

Academic Courses
A student at a community event.

Community Engagement

Kenney Center for Community Engagement and Outreach
Winners of the SparkLab business pitch competition

Co-Curricular Programs

SparkLab, UFN and other Signature Programs
San Francisco Internship on Innovation and Creativity

Internships

Career Center in Becker Hall
A Union student on a study abroad term

Term Away

Office of International Programs
Summer Research

Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate Research
A drum performance inside of Memorial Chapel

Additional Opportunities

Clubs, Ensembles, Teams, and more!

Community-based Learning

Every term, a variety of departments offer courses built around principles of community-based learning: engaging with community partners, addressing a community-based topic, connecting curricular material with community-based activities, and structuring course assignments around reflection.

View a list of Community-based Learning Courses

AAH 218 - Social Impact of Art and Entrepreneurship

In Professor Cox's course, students established a "Sche-nection" initiative - leading creative projects at local events and festivals. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity, the students provided hands-on activities like painting furniture and building popsicle stick houses to raise awareness about the organization's mission and promote the reuse of materials.

'Sche-nection' students lead creative projects at Kids Arts Fest

SPN 405 - Lost (and Found) in Translation

Union College students, as part of a Professor Osuna's Capstone course, partnered with the Schenectady YWCA to translate its rules and regulations into Spanish. This project taught the students that effective translation requires a deep understanding of cultural nuances and will help the YWCA better serve its local Spanish-speaking population.

Lost in translation; found in meaning

KENNEY CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH

Students under a parachute at Central Park Field Day

Experiential learning opportunities extend beyond the bounds of credit-bearing coursework. The Kenney Center for Community Engagement and Outreach equips students with hands-on opportunities rooted in the community. From major service days to ongoing partnerships, students have the opportunity to work alongside community leaders and support critical local needs. The Kenney Center also offers paid Project Leader roles for students who wish to coordinate a sustained community partnership, and Fellowship roles for students to work in tandem with school district leaders.

Learn more about the Kenney Center

CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMS

Union Financial Network and Finance Bootcamp

Hear from student participants, alumni and staff about Union Financial Network’s Finance Bootcamp! Students interested in finance attended Union Financial Network’s (UFN) Finance Bootcamp in December 2022. They learned the essentials of finance from economics faculty and met with alumni in New York City, hearing about their careers at places like Bank of America, RBC, Barclays and Bloomberg. The program introduced students to careers in finance and the tools needed to succeed in the industry.

SparkLab

SparkLab is an entrepreneurship program designed to help students gain the knowledge needed to bring a business idea to market. Participants are mentored by alumni, parents and service providers who facilitate basic business principles and entrepreneurship frameworks on how to launch a new venture, hone presentation skills and more - all while competing for a chance to earn start-up capital.

Sparklab winners hold a large faux check
Marissa Gnitzcavich
The Schenectady community has a plethora of unique ways to grow with hands-on learning. With ISC-203: Exploring Healthcare, I volunteered at the Saratoga Therapeutic Equestrian Program, where I have learned the interconnection between human and animal care. Expanding beyond my familiarity from past experience, I have learned a new medium of care, equine therapy, as well as skills for communication and treatment that I can carry to other sectors of medicine."
-Marissa Gnitzcavich
Biology Major, Class of 2026

STEM Enrichment for Schenectady Youth

Union’s Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) offers opportunities for students to develop hands-on activities, showcase their classwork and research, and mentor local middle and high school students in an effort to increase participation in math, science, technology, health-related fields, and licensed professions.

STEP students participate in an environmental science day, led by Maeve Daby '23, at Kelly Adirondack Center.

STEP students participate in an environmental science day, led by Maeve Daby '23, at Kelly Adirondack Center.

Interdisciplinary Term Away Opportunities

The Union College Mini-Term in Senegal provides hands-on engagement with the local community and culture. Students gain practical experience through internships as observers or volunteers at diverse sites like hospitals, schools, and NGOs, offering a direct view into Senegalese professional life. Furthermore, living with host families in Dakar and participating in cultural and historical excursions provide deep immersion into Senegal's vibrant cross-cultural environment.

Union students on a beach in Senegal

Experiential Learning News

See all news

Union’s Adonis Richards is Schenectady’s first poet laureate

As the grandson of an English teacher, Adonis Richards has always had a passion for literature. He soon discovered that storytelling could be channeled through poetry. He wrote his first poem for a hip-hop showcase while a senior at SUNY Potsdam. Now 31, he continues to write poetry on a regular basis and is the author of three collections: “Confessions of a Hopeless Creative,” “Reflections of a Hopeless Creative,” and “The Quarantine Chronicles.” He also performs spoken-word poetry at public events. “I wri
As the grandson of an English teacher, Adonis Richards has always had a passion for literature. He soon discovered that storytelling could be channeled through poetry. He wrote his first poem for a hip-hop showcase while a senior at SUNY Potsdam. Now 31, he continues to write poetry on a regular basis and is the author of three collections: “Confessions of a Hopeless Creative,” “Reflections of a Hopeless Creative,” and “The Quarantine Chronicles.” He also performs spoken-word poetry at public events. “I wri
Students participating in community service