An On-Campus ESL Program Reflects on the Ripple Effects for Students, the Institution, the Local Community, and Beyond

Abstract

This article details the unanticipated ripple effects of a college service-learning project. In 2008, Berry College began hosting an on-campus English as a second language (ESL) program in order to provide high-impact practices for students entering the Spanish major and minor and to better serve the growing Latinx community in the area. While the program has met its intended goals of serving our community and providing students with opportunities to achieve cultural competency and grow into civically minded individuals, it has also produced unintended benefits, including student research, leadership development, student career definition, student-sponsored sister organizations, and mentorship of faculty at other colleges who have created their own ESL programs. As we explain, a number of these unintended consequences either stem from or have been enhanced by our decision to host an on-campus service-learning program rather than partner with existing community organizations. Our aim in writing this article is to encourage faculty to weigh the benefits and costs of hosting an on-campus service-learning program by highlighting the full impact of our program, including those impacts we did not originally anticipate.