Last modified: Tuesday, March 27, 2012
IUPUI and IU Bloomington honored for community service efforts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS and BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Indiana University Bloomington have been named to the 2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in recognition of the substantial civic engagement and outreach efforts of their faculty, students and service-learning staff.
A total of 642 college and university campuses are on the Honor Roll. IUPUI was among 14 campuses recognized as an Honor Roll finalist.
"Indiana University takes seriously its responsibility to produce students that not only excel in their academic disciplines but contribute to their communities," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "IU students provide valuable services to citizens while they are on our campuses, and many of them also use their university experience to develop a lifelong commitment to civic engagement that will benefit their communities for decades to come."
The Corporation for National and Community Service 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.
"Preparing students to participate in our democracy and providing them with opportunities to take on local and global issues in their course work are as central to the mission of education as boosting college completion and closing the achievement gap," said Eduardo Ochoa, the U.S. Department of Education's assistant secretary for postsecondary education. "The Honor Roll schools should be proud of their work to elevate the role of service-learning on their campuses. Galvanizing their students to become involved in projects that address pressing concerns and enrich their academic experience has a lasting impact -- both in the communities in which they work and on their own sense of purpose as citizens of the world. I hope we'll see more and more colleges and universities following their lead."
"Through service, these institutions are creating the next generation of leaders by challenging students to tackle tough issues and create positive impacts in the community," said Robert Velasco, acting CEO of CNCS. "We applaud the Honor Roll schools, their faculty and students for their commitment to make service a priority in and out of the classroom. Together, service and learning increase civic engagement while fostering social innovation among students, empowering them to solve challenges within their communities."
To view the complete list of honor roll recipients, visit www.nationalservice.gov/about/initiatives/honorroll.asp.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov/about/overview.
