Converse College Receives US Presidential Community Service Award
Converse College has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.
Last year, 551 Converse students participated in service initiatives, contributing a total of 9,052 hours. The College’s most intensive projects were for Habitat for Humanity, with 350 student hours and 96 faculty/staff hours, and the Spartanburg Oral History Project, with 750 student hours and 50 faculty/staff hours.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognized more than 700 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice.
“Congratulations to Converse College and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities,” said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Our nation’s students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face. They have achieved impactful results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into practice to help renew America through service.”
Honorees are chosen based on the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.
“We are thrilled to receive this recognition of Converse’s commitment to service learning,” said Converse President Betsy Fleming. “The Converse experience is designed to cultivate leaders with global awareness, sensitivity to the problems of others and a strong sense of ethical principles. Through a breadth of innovative service initiatives, our students make a tangible difference in the lives of others.”
College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector; in 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service, according to the Volunteering in America study released by the Corporation. Each year, the Corporation invests more than $150 million in fostering a culture of service on college campuses through grants awarded by its programs; the education awards that AmeriCorps members receive at the conclusion of their term of service to pay for college; and through support of training, research, recognition, and other initiatives to spur college service.
The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.
For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.