College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Launches New Center to Support Student Access to Experiential Learning
Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences launches the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) this fall 2024 semester. The Center will help undergraduate and graduate students with limited financial means participate in experiential learning and academic enrichment opportunities, including immersion programs, study abroad, faculty-mentored research, unpaid internships and academic or professional conferences.
Today, experiential learning opportunities are a vital component of a comprehensive Villanova education and essential to post-college success, but most of these opportunities carry a cost. The Center provides stipends and facilitates efforts across the College to support students with information and access to funds for co-curricular academic enrichment, experiential learning and professional development—enabling more students, regardless of their financial resources, the opportunity to fully participate in learning opportunities outside the classroom.
“The College is already supporting students in their academic and co-curricular pursuits. CIE elevates our unwavering commitment to creating an equitable environment for every student by helping remove financial barriers that may impede their access to these opportunities,” says Adele Lindenmeyr, PhD, William and Julia Moulden Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Edward Garcia Fierros, PhD, the inaugural Charles A. Walsh III ’68 Director of the Center for Inclusive Education, leads the initiatives of the Center and is supported by a Center administrator. CIE has been generously supported by donors, including those who established the Charles A. Walsh III ’68 Director of the Center for Inclusive Education and the Lynne ’87 and Jeffrey Pagano Endowed Fund for Inclusive Education.
About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been the heart of the Villanova learning experience, offering foundational courses for undergraduate students in every college of the University. Serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the College is committed to fortifying them with intellectual rigor, multidisciplinary knowledge, moral courage and a global perspective. The College has more than 40 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.