UIS named to President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for third year

The University of Illinois Springfield has been named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, one of the highest federal recognitions a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted over 600 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth.

“We’re very proud that UIS has been named to the Honor Roll for the third time,” said Jan Kirkham, interim director of Experiential and Service-Learning Programs at UIS. “The announcement shows how dedicated UIS students are to volunteering in the community and the difference they are making.”

During 2010, UIS students spent over 3,000 hours volunteering to collect food for the Holiday Stars project, mentoring Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and tutoring through the AVID program, where the college students help middle school students achieve the goal of going to college. Thirty UIS students were also involved in AmeriCorps. Students in the Leadership for Life Service Wing in Lincoln Residence Hall volunteer many hours in the community. Academic service-learning is another area that the Honor Roll recognized UIS. At UIS, almost 500 students served 51,500 hours in their communities as part of an academic course, a public service internship, or a service-learning course. In total some 700 students served almost 57,000 hours.

“Congratulations to UIS students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities. We salute all the Honor Roll awardees for embracing their civic mission and providing opportunities for their students to tackle tough national challenges through service.” said Patrick A. Corvington, Chief Executive Officer of CNCS.

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.

The corporation 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.

For more information, contact Jan Kirkham, interim director of Experiential and Service-Learning Programs at 217/206-6645 or email jkirk1@uis.edu.