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WCU recognized with distinction on national honor roll for service
The Corporation for National and Community Service has named Western Carolina University to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for “exemplary commitment to service and civic engagement” on WCU’s campus and beyond.
“Service learning offers our students real-world experience that enhances the quality of their education while benefiting the communities of our region,” said WCU Provost Kyle Carter. “To be named to the national honor roll – with distinction – shows that our faculty members are making significant progress in linking their students’ educational experience with the community.”
Founded in 2006, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition higher education institutions can achieve for commitment to service learning and civic engagement.
WCU was one of only 83 institutions nationally recognized with distinction. Honorees are chosen based on factors such as scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which the institution offers academic service-learning courses.
During the 12 months ending June 30, 2008, the service period considered for this year’s award, 7,000 WCU students engaged in voluntary or co-curricular community service, and 2,630 students participated in service-learning activities, said Glenn Bowen, director of service learning. Together, 7,630 students completed 58,300 hours of service, both academic and co-curricular, in the areas of education, community development, environmental conservation, health care, poverty, hunger and other social issues, Bowen said.
As part of Make a Difference Day, 55 WCU students, faculty and staff members participated at six sites in three counties, including Haywood County Habitat for Humanity; REACH of Jackson and Macon counties, organizations that address domestic violence and sexual assault; and Project FIRE, a heating assistance project organized by Jackson County’s Department on Aging. The university’s Jacob Medford Service Learning Scholars served as site leaders and coordinated activities for the day.
Also during the 12-month period, students provided 16,600 hours of community service as part of WCU’s Homecoming celebration, and approximately 625 campus and local community members participated in the 24th annual Tuckaseigee River Cleanup, contributing 3,125 hours of service. In addition, more than 30 teams with 250 individuals participated in Relay for Life, which raised more than $20,000 for the American Cancer Society, and 14 students provided more than 4,200 hours of community service through the NC-ACTS! AmeriCorps Program, which rewards engaged students who complete specific criteria with a monetary educational award.
“Our service-learning program has come a long way in a short time, and we can be justly proud of our achievements,” said Bowen. “As our institutional commitment to service learning has increased, so has faculty and student engagement with the community.”
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is sponsored by the corporation’s Learn and Serve America Program, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
For more information about WCU’s Center for Service Learning, contact Glenn Bowen by phone at (828) 227-7184 or by e-mail at gbowen@wcu.edu.
By Bessie Dietrich Goggins
