Nation’s Top Colleges and Universities Receive Presidential Recognition for Community Service

March 5, 2013 - PRLog -- Indianapolis, IN – As colleges and universities across the country make plans to honor their graduates this spring, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) honored the nation's leading institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement with The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.  

Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, CNCS has administered the award since 2006.  The Honor Roll annually highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community problems and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement by recognizing institutions that achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes in the communities they serve.

Congratulations to 2012 Honor Roll with Distinction members:
•   Indiana State University
•   Taylor University
•   Valparaiso University

Congratulations to 2012 Honor Roll members:
•   Anderson University
•   Ball State University
•   Indiana University East
•   Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
•   Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana - Lafayette
•   Manchester College
•   Marian University
•   University of Indianapolis
•   University of Saint Francis

“We congratulate the awardees and the students for their dedication to service,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. “These institutions have inspired students and faculty alike to roll up their sleeves and work alongside members of the community to solve problems and improve their neighbors’ lives.”

“Communities are strengthened when we all come together, and we are encouraged that these institutions and their students have made service a priority,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Civic engagement should be a key component of every student’s education experience. Through reaching out to meet the needs of their neighbors, these students are deepening their impact, strengthening our democracy and ultimately preparing themselves to be successful citizens.”

Indiana Campus Compact supports higher education’s efforts to develop students into well-informed, engaged citizens. By providing programs, services, and resources, ICC serves as a catalyst for campuses and communities to improve people’s lives through service-learning and civic engagement initiatives. For more information, please visit www.indianacampuscompact.org.  

CNCS oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school's commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service. For a full list of recipients and descriptions of their service, visit www.NationalService.gov/HonorRoll.