"I was taught that the world had a lot of problems; that I could struggle and change them; that intellectual and material gifts brought the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others less fortunate; and that service is the rent each of us pay for a living...the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goals."    
-Marian Wright Edelman

The Feinstein Institute for Public Service was established in 1993 when Providence College was named the recipient of a $5 million grant from Rhode Island philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein to develop an innovative academic program that would educate community leaders by integrating community service with academic study. At the core of the Institute is the major and  minor in Public and Community Service Studies.