U of A Named to President's Community Service Honor Roll

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the first time, in recognition of the service learning and volunteer service programs developed by the campus Service Learning Initiative and the Center for Community Engagement.

The Honor Roll recognizes institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships.

The U of A was listed on the honor roll in all three categories for which it was eligible: general community service, education services, and economic opportunity services. Only about 16 percent of the schools on the honor roll are recognized in this many categories.

“We are very excited to be recognized nationally for the work our students, faculty and staff are doing,” said Angela Oxford, director of the center. “This was the first time we applied to be on the honor roll, so we are very proud to be selected.”

The U of A was recognized for 10 academic and service programs that were operating in 2015, the time of the application. Three were in the Center for Community Engagement:

• The Jane Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry
• Razorback Food Recovery
• Dream B.I.G. (Believe in Girls)

The remaining seven were academic courses,  all part of the campus wide Service Learning Initiative, which currently includes 75 courses:

• Health Coaches
• Sin Limites: the Latino Youth Bi-literacy Project
• Teaching Art for Special Needs Adults
• Public Health Education in Belize
• Micro Loans and Entrepreneurship in Belize
• Saving Money Makes Cents
• The School of Law Legal Clinic

Together these programs engaged hundreds in the campus community and provided services to thousands of people in the community and beyond.

“There are several levels of recognition on the President’s Honor Roll,” said Jennie Popp, who co-leads the Service Learning Initiative. “Presidential Awards are the highest, with only a handful of schools being chosen each year for those awards. Angela and I feel our service and service learning programs are growing and improving each year, so we have our sights set on ultimately achieving that award.”

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Corporation is administered by the National and Community Service, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the American Council on Education, Campus Compact, and the Interfaith Youth Core.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.