ABSTRACT
As service-learning has matured in recent years to become a more essential and indicative aspect of the civic engagement movement, the importance of viewing service-learning less as a distinctive outreach program and more as an integral strategy for advancing broader institutional goals has become even more apparent. On the organizational margins, service-learning endeavors can operate and perhaps expand without much attentive administrative oversight. During the initial stages of service-learning implementation and development, much emphasis is placed on solidifying service-learning's institutional identity. Achieving the full institutionalization of service-learning ultimately requires garnering political support from key constituencies in the community and within the academy. Regardless of the prominence and importance of the institutional priority to which service-learning is connected, long-term institutional support ultimately depends on demonstrating the initiative's effectiveness through convincing evidence. One of the major forces for institutionalizing service-learning continues to be leadership.
