Share
CUC Becomes a Member of the International Network of Catholic Universities “Uniservitate”
As of December 2025, the Catholic University of Croatia (CUC) has become an official member of the international network of Catholic universities, Uniservitate. The aim of Uniservitate is to foster systemic change in Catholic higher education by institutionalising service-learning as a key instrument for fulfilling the mission of integral education.
Service-learning encompasses initiatives, projects, programmes, methodologies, and pedagogical approaches that simultaneously include three core characteristics: (1) they are oriented toward addressing real and recognised community needs in a concrete and effective way, in collaboration with members of that community; (2) they are actively led by students, from the planning phase through to evaluation; and (3) they are systematically connected to academic content and integrated into course syllabi, with an emphasis on reflection and the development of competencies for research and active engagement for the common good. Through this approach, students are formed as agents of social change who act critically in pursuit of a more just and better society, in accordance with Catholic social teaching.
The Uniservitate network brings together members from five continents, including experts, researchers, educators, students, and university administrators, with the goal of exchanging experiences and knowledge related to service-learning. As part of the preparation for joining the Uniservitate network, Assistant Professor Lana Batinić, PhD, from the University Department of Psychology, participated in the 6th Global Symposium Service-Learning in a Fragile World: Universities Nourishing Peace and Hope, held in November at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.
Some of the benefits available to members of the Uniservitate network include:
membership in a global network and community focused on research and best practices in service-learning;
access to educational, scientific, and professional resources;
participation in the Uniservitate Award for the best service-learning project;
eligibility to apply for small research grants;
early registration for Uniservitate Global Symposia;
regular global and regional meetings;
“twinning” projects: bilateral and multilateral joint initiatives of learning through community engagement.
The establishment of a working group is currently underway to focus on ways of implementing service-learning within teaching processes at the Catholic University of Croatia. More information about the global Uniservitate network is available on its official website.
