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 Philadelphia - The Corporation for National and Community Service has announced the second annual President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, a national recognition program designed to increase volunteering and service-learning among colleges and universities and to shine a spotlight on the service activities of college students.
The announcement was made Monday at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, a three-day gathering of the nation’s volunteer and national service leaders that concluded today at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
“Higher education is a powerful engine of civic engagement and is central to achieving the President's vision of active citizens and connected communities,” said Stephen Goldsmith, Chairman of the Corporation, an independent federal agency tasked with fostering an ethic of volunteerism and service in America. “We applaud America’s college students and the universities they attend for stepping up to help people in need.”
The Corporation, primarily through its Learn and Serve America program, is working closely with other federal agencies, higher education institutions, student associations, and nonprofit organizations to encourage greater levels of service and civic engagement by college students. The goal is to increase the number of college student participating in volunteer service to 5 million by 2010.
Last year’s Honor Roll was a huge success, with 492 institutions of higher education receiving recognition for their outstanding commitment to community service. Of those, 141 received “With Distinction” honors for their achievements, and just six received Presidential Awards in recognition of their exemplary service to the community.
The other 2006 Presidential Award winners were California State University/Monterey Bay; Elon University; and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis for General Community Service; and Jackson State University; Louisiana State University, and Tulane University for Hurricane Relief Service, the 2006 “Special Focus Area.” A full list of the 2006 Honor Roll designees, along with descriptions of the top honorees’ projects and other information, is available at the Honor Roll website, located at http://www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.
All colleges and universities that made meaningful contributions to community service during the 2006-2007 academic year are invited to apply. Because the Honor Roll is an annual program, previous applicants and honorees should reapply for consideration for this year’s Honor Roll. Institutions that participate in the Federal Work-Study Program must meet the statutory community service minimum of 7 percent of the institution’s annual Federal allocation.
As in the 2006 program, schools may apply in one or both of two categories: General Community Service and Special Focus Area, which for 2007 is Service that supports improved high school graduation and college readiness of youth from disadvantaged circumstances. Applicants will be evaluated on the scope, innovativeness, and evidence of effectiveness of their service projects; level of student participation in community service activities relative to total enrollment; Federal Work-Study community service participation rate; incentives offered for service, such as matching of the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award; the extent to which the institution offers academic service-learning courses; and other factors listed at http://www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll
Online applications for the 2007 Honor Roll will be available on the website beginning August 5. The due date for applications is October 5, 2007. Honorees and Presidential Award winners will be announced in early 2008.
“More and more we see colleges working to improve their communities and encouraging an ethic of service by their students,” said Corporation CEO David Eisner. “These efforts are fueling a growing movement of college student service that will benefit our nation for many years to come.”
Each year, the Corporation makes a significant investment in building a culture of service on college campuses through Learn and Serve America and AmeriCorps programs at institutions of higher education. In addition to direct grants to support service-learning and engagement of students in their communities, the Corporation has also supported higher education through the more than $1.2 billion in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards to AmeriCorps members who complete their service and use their awards to pay for college tuition or to pay back student loans.
Administered by Corporation through Learn and Serve America, the Honor Roll is strongly supported by USA Freedom Corps, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, the American Council on Education, and other higher education associations.
For more information, go to http://www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll. If you have additional questions, e-mail honorrollsupport@cns.gov or call the Customer Support Center at 1-800-942-2677.
The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation provides opportunities for more than 2 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
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