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Washington, DC - A growing number of colleges and universities are providing tuition breaks, academic credit, and other assistance to students who have served their communities and country through the AmeriCorps national service program.
A new web page launched today by the Corporation for National and Community Service lists 69 institutions of higher education in 27 states that give scholarships and other aid to AmeriCorps alums. The incentives range from waiving admission fees to offering $20,000 or more in tuition assistance. More colleges are expected to provide scholarship aid to AmeriCorps alums as they recognize the caliber, leadership, and civic commitment of AmeriCorps graduates. The page is at http://www.nationalservice.gov/for_organizations/highered/index.asp.
“AmeriCorps alums are the future leaders of our country, and these colleges are wise to give tuition aid to attract them,” said David Eisner, CEO of AmeriCorps’ parent agency the Corporation for National and Community Service. “AmeriCorps alums have the traits that universities value in their students-- problem-solving, compassion, leadership, and a commitment to public service.”
The web page was announced at the winter meeting of the Corporation’s Board of Directors, which featured a panel of experts sharing their thoughts on how to expand college service and civic engagement. The panelists were Rush, President of California State University, Channel Islands; Veronika Gilliland, a senior at California State University, Northridge; and Wayne Meisel, President of the Bonner Foundation.
Since AmeriCorps was launched in 1994, more than 475,000 Americans have joined the program, meeting critical local needs in education, health care, housing, disaster relief, and the environment. In return for serving a 1,700 hour term of service, AmeriCorps members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $4,725 that can be used to pay tuition or loans for college or graduate school. So far, AmeriCorps members have earned more than $1.2 billion in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards.
The national service agency has stepped up its outreach efforts to encourage more higher education institutions to provide incentives to AmeriCorps alums. Since December, seven institutions have come forward, including the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and the Fletcher School at Tufts University. They are the latest in a growing list that range from community colleges to public policy graduate schools. Rhode Island has the highest number of colleges matching the awards, with 10 colleges participating.
Campuses that match the AmeriCorps Education Award can draw the attention of the large and growing pool of AmeriCorps alums, which will top the 500,000 mark later this year. Hobart and William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y., saw a tripling of the number of AmeriCorps members using their award after it launched a matching program in the 2005 academic year.
Expanding campus incentives for service is part of a larger initiative to spur higher levels of volunteering by America’s college students. Last February the Corporation set a national goal of engaging 5 million college students in service annually by the year 2010 as part of its five-year strategic plan.
The agency is working with a coalition of federal agencies, higher education and student associations, and nonprofit organizations to encourage even greater levels of service and civic engagement by college students. Each year, the Corporation invests more than $150 million in fostering a culture of service on college campuses. It does this in several ways: through grants awarded by its main programs; through the education awards that AmeriCorps members receive at the conclusion of their term of service to pay for college; and through support of research, recognition, and other initiatives to spur college service.
The Corporation’s Learn and Serve America program, in particular, is a catalyst for service-learning programs nationwide that connect community service with academic curriculum. Through these programs, in class and in extracurricular activities, college students serve others in their communities while strengthening their academic and civic skills. In addition, service-learning fosters partnerships between colleges and their communities that strengthens communities and meets immediate community needs.
The growth of service-learning at the K-12 and higher education levels is one of the reasons behind the surge of volunteering by college students in recent year. A comprehensive report on college volunteering released by the Corporation last fall found volunteering among college students has increased by 20 percent since 2005, more than double the growth in the adult volunteering rate. An estimated 3.3 million college students volunteered in 2005 – nearly 600,000 more students than three years ago.
Another part of the campaign is a new program to give Presidential recognition to colleges and universities that embrace their civic mission and provide opportunities for their students to serve their communities. In its inaugural year, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll had an overwhelming response, with more than 500 colleges and universities applying for the honor.
The new higher education web page at www.nationalservice.gov also provides valuable links and information to colleges and universities that want to further service and civic engagement on their campuses including training resources, research findings on college volunteering, student recognition opportunities, and grant information.
AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also oversees Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America. The Corporation’s mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility in America. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
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