I have already made one rant on "service learning" which is presently being pushed by my university's administration.

Don Boudreaux has an excellent essay at Cafe Hayek "On Self-Interestedness" pointing out the hypocrisy of many people when thinking about self-interest. Read the whole thing.

He wonders why some self-interested behaviors--diet and exercise for example--are extolled as virtues while other self-interested behaviors--say running a profitable business--are considered at best a necessary evil and at worst an unnecessary evil.

This is exactly my problem with this "service learning" ideology. To the service learning ideologue, service is defined exclusively as service of a particular type--helping the poor through some volunteer program for example. They actually defend such efforts as being in the interest of the volunteer as well as the people being "served". They say students learn something and become better people. Ok, I don't disagree. But tell me why service of any other type--helping the poor by providing them with goods and services in the market place--is deemed unworthy of the holy word "service"?

I have little doubt that more good for rich and poor alike would come from a promising accounting student doing an accounting internship with PriceWaterhouseCoopers than handing out blankets at the homeless shelter.