March 12, 2012
For Immediate Release
By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Campbellsville University has been named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), as a leader among institutions of higher education for her support of volunteering, service learning and civic engagement. CU was admitted to the President’s Honor Roll for engaging her students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community.
“We are very pleased to be named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service,” Dr. Michael V. Carter, Campbellsville University president, said.
“Campbellsville University has a long history of encouraging the development of Christian servant leaders – the giving of one’s self in service to others.
“This recognition is further acknowledgment of the positive and rich educational experience that Campbellsville University students are receiving and exemplifies an ethic of servant leadership on the part of the faculty, staff, coaches and students of CU.”
A total of 851 institutions applied for the 2010 Honor Roll, a 9 percent increase over last year, a sign of the growing interest by colleges and universities in highlighting their efforts to engage students in making a difference in the community.
Jon Hansford, director of the First Year Experience at Campbellsville University, said 2,521 CU students participated in community service activities with each reporting student averaging 30.075 hours. A total of 38,375.7 hours of community service was engaged in by CU students, with 477 students completing at least 20 hours of service per semester.
Sixty-three percent of CU employees engaged in service activities with 72 faculty members facilitating service learning. CU employees contributed 8,626 hours with each CU employee averaging 55.29 hours.
“The President’s Honor Roll is recognition from the highest levels of the federal government,” Hansford said. “To be recognized for Campbellsville University’s commitment to exemplary community service speaks to the heart of our students, our faculty and our staff as we all seek to achieve meaningful outcomes in our community, on our campus and in our nation.”
Among the activities reported were Repair Affair, which involved the entire freshman class of 429 students, along with 16 faculty and staff members, which benefited six low-income homeowners with badly needed home repairs. The group worked with Kentucky Heartland Outreach on the program.
The CU Football Character Development Program consisted of 150 student athletes and 10 coaches contributing 680 hours of service to benefit 3,000 persons. Services included reading over 50 books to elementary children at all three local elementary schools and the public library;
Completing four home beautification projects for elderly and families in need; fundraising for cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation; mentoring Florida prison inmates; collecting 17 boxes of school supplies, etc. for Samaritan’s Purse and partnering with community agencies in providing clothing and shelter for needy individuals.
Students and faculty with the School of Nursing participated in medical clinics providing medical care to 1,814 Haitians in Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake that left one million people homeless. They spent 788 hours in fundraising for medical supplies and 1,760 hours giving needed medical care.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered theHonor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 641 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth.
Of that total, 511 were named to the Honor Roll, 114 received the recognition of Honor Roll with distinction, 11 were identified as finalists, and six received the Presidential Award.
“Congratulations to Campbellsville University and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities. We salute all the Honor Roll awardees for embracing their civic mission and providing opportunities for their students to tackle tough national challenges through service,” Patrick A. Corvington, chief executive officer of CNCS, said.
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.
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Barack Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master’s degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.