Media coverage at the time portrayed college-age students as part of a 'me generation', more interested in increasing their wealth and status than serving their community.

The founding presidents aimed to counteract this prevailing image, by showcasing the good work college students were already and providing support and encouragement for others to participate.

Campus Compact launched the Integrating Service with Academic Study (ISAS) initiative,[4] which funded grants and workshops to support colleges interested in building service-learning into their institutions.

Campus Compact began a series of publications that documented the effects of service learning and provided resources to help faculty and departments build their own programs and curricula.

This commitment of more than 400 college and university presidents expressed shared goals and enhanced action throughout the network regarding the public purpose of higher education.

In January 2022, Campus Compact's Board of Directors announced that Bobbie Laur had been appointed the organization's next president, effective February 15, 2022.