University receives President’s Honor Roll Award with Distinction for community service
Waynesburg University was recently named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The University surpassed the basic requirements and was named to the Honor Roll with Distinction category for being among the top tier of applicants in its category.
Waynesburg University students contribute nearly 44,000 service hours annually.
“The award is a testimony to our University and the commitment our student body has to serving others beyond our campus,” said Dave Calvario, director of the Center for Service Leadership.
According to Calvario, Waynesburg University strives to inspire students to become servant-leaders through a number of partnerships the University has established over time. With more than 40 local and regional agencies and a continuously expanding network of international agencies, Waynesburg offers service opportunities throughout the academic year including alternative break trips over the fall, winter, spring and summer breaks.
In addition to volunteer hours, the University offers a service leadership minor constructed around service-learning courses. During the semester-long courses, students perform a set amount of hours of community service with a non-profit organization. Waynesburg University is one of only 27 Bonner Scholar Schools in the country. With support from the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, Waynesburg is commited to the program which was created to offer scholarship assistance to students performing significant amounts of community service throughout their time at the University.
Established in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which academic service-learning courses are offered.
“Earning this distinction is not easy,” said American Council on Education President David Ward. “But now, each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor.”
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering.
In congratulating the winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, “Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce. We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country.”
Waynesburg University is a private, comprehensive Christian university offering doctoral, graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a contemporary campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three adult centers located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and is one of only 27 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.
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Released February 21, 2008
Contact: Pam Cunningham, Media Relations Coordinator
(724) 852-3384; pcunning@waynesburg.edu