Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center

Service Learning and Community-Based Research

Students in the Community

The Levitt Center assists students in acquiring skills and experiences to become active and engaged leaders in their communities.   

• Information for Students:  Frequently asked questions about opportunities to be involved in academic courses, community projects or employment/fellowships. 
• Service Learning Projects in the Community: The Levitt Center sponsors several ongoing community projects that are based in academic coursework, such as SHINE and Rust to Green.  Students and faculty may be engaged with refugees and immigrants, youth, or low-income families. 
• Research Projects in the Community: A Community Based Research (CBR) grant connects the Levitt Center to a network of colleges and universities that provide research projects and reports for the surrounding community.

A Glance at the Local Community

Hamilton College is located in the village of Clinton (population 1,952) and near the City of Utica (population 60,651), in which most of the sites frequented by students and faculty are located.  Utica is an old industrial center whose population peaked around the turn of the century.  It was an important transportation center on the Erie Canal and then the railroad.  Today, Utica is marketed as the "Gateway to the Adirondacks", but the manufacturing businesses have moved south.  Utica is home to many of the poor and minority residents of Oneida County (population 235, 469).  The suburbs, small towns, and villages of Oneida County are largely white and less diverse, but there is still significant rural poverty.