While Mississippi State University encourages all students to give back to the community, other universities go beyond encouragement by requiring students to complete community service hours in order to graduate.
At Alvernia University in Reading, Pa., full-time undergraduate students are required to complete 40 hours of community service during their four years at the university, Judy Bohler, community engagement coordinator at Alvernia, said.
Bohler said she thinks students can learn through their service to the community, while at the same time help to improve it.
“We feel that it is important for students to give back to the community, both for the community’s sake and also for the students’ growth,” Bohler said.
Belmont University, in Nashville, Tenn., has a unique initiative that requires community service as a component of a larger convocation program designed to engage students in all aspects of life.
Madison Hardy, a Belmont alumna, said she supports programs at other universities that require community service because of the benefits service has for both the student and the community.
 ”Volunteering in various capacities not only tremendously helped me mature and grow as a person, but it also made me feel more connected to my university and my community,” Hardy said.
At Tulane University, students are required to take a service-learning course during their first two years at the university and participate in another type of community service during their junior or senior year, according to Tulane’s Center for Public Service website.
The Maroon Volunteer Center at MSU has used Tulane’s experience in engaging students in community service to create programs that will benefit the community and students alike. During its first year, MVC organized or sponsored 41 events for student-community engagement during which 831 students volunteered.
Meggan Franks, program coordinator for MVC, said the center, now in its second year on campus, anticipates sponsoring more than 60 events during the 2011-2012 academic year. These projects include Habitat for Humanity, Bridges of Poverty, the Clothesline Project and many events for the Starkville community.
Franks said MVC has a responsibility not only for the community it serves but also for the students who volunteer through the center.
“There are some students who need to do campus clean-up. It’s part of their mission. So, we need to give them that opportunity,” Franks said. 
She also said while MSU has several programs that require a certain amount of community service, there is no requirement for the general student population.
The Greek system is one program that requires its members to participate in community service events throughout the year. Each chapter decides how much community service is required, but most fraternities require an average of six hours per semester, Interfraternity Council president Davis Dodson said.
He said he does not think mandatory community service hours at MSU would be a huge change from the current community service projects Greek students complete.
“There might be negative feedback from some students about having to do it, but if you are involved in any organization on campus, you are probably already doing some community service,” Dodson said.
Students at MSU who want to complete service projects can become involved through student organization leadership programs, such as Day One, or one of the service-learning courses offered at MSU.