UA Earns Place on National Honor Roll for Community Service, Service Learning

WASHINGTON, D. C. — For the fifth consecutive year, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education have named The University of Alabama to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, recognizing the University’s strong commitment to bettering communities through service and service-learning partnerships.

“UA students, faculty and staff have a strong commitment to civic engagement tied to a history of community-university partnerships,” said Stephen Black, director of the UA Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility. “The range and quality of volunteer and service-learning programs members of the campus community lead throughout our state, and even in other parts of the world, are phenomenal, and it’s wonderful to see that commitment formally recognized.”

During the 2012-2013 academic year, more than 26,000 UA students completed approximately 770,000 hours of community service with more than 183 community partners. An estimated 8,500 students participated in 136 service-learning courses led by faculty members from every College on campus.

From the annual Beat Auburn Beat Hunger food drive and the Al’s Pals mentoring program to the UA/Tuscaloosa Pre-K Partnership, community service and service-learning experiences move students beyond the classroom as they begin to shape the future of the state, country and world, organizers said.

A total of 661 higher education institutions were named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. UA was one of 121 schools to receive the honor with distinction.

The University of Alabama also was one of 194 schools named to the inaugural Education Community Service Honor Roll. This list further recognizes institutions that excel in community service and service-learning efforts aimed at education, which is one of four special focus areas CNCS recognizes for outstanding achievement.

Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the Corporation for National and Community Service has administered the award since 2006 and manages the program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education and Campus Compact.

More information about The University of Alabama’s community service efforts can be found at volunteer.ua.edu, and information on its service-learning efforts can be found at cesr.ua.edu. More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees can be found at nationalservice.gov.

About the UA Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility

Created in 2005, CESR established university-wide programming supporting the development of projects that nurture social responsibility and reflective, thoughtful citizenship. CESR staff members develop – and assist faculty members in developing – service-learning courses that engage community organizations in partnerships designed to both enhance academic goals and apply scholarly learning to salient community issues. The service experiences are integrated into the students’ academic curriculum, providing structured time for students to think, talk, and write about what they did and observed. For more information, visit cesr.ua.edu.

About the UA Center for Sustainable Service & Volunteerism

The mission of the Center for Sustainable Service & Volunteerism is to educate students for service advocacy and leadership, civic responsibility, and lifelong volunteerism by increasing awareness of community needs, resources and opportunities for social problem solving. Visit volunteer.ua.edu to learn more.

About the Corporation for National and Community Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a federal agency that engages more than 5 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.