MSU receives national community service award
Minot State University was named to the 2013 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteerism, service learning and civic engagement. The announcement was made March 4 at the American Council on Education conference in Washington, D.C. MSU is the only North Dakota university or college to earn this award in 2013.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual honor roll award, recognized 690 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice.
"We're more than pleased to receive this Presidential Honor from the Corporation for National and Community Service," said David Fuller, MSU president. "While we've felt for some time that we were reaching out to the community in many special ways, being on this honor roll validates those achievements and gives us incentive to continue to connect with groups in need as well as assist in solving society-based concerns and issues."
Examples of Minot State volunteer, service-learning or civic-engagement projects that MSU supports include:
- The Adult Health Maintenance Clinic, a hands-on service-learning experience for students to assist senior citizens in Henry Towers with vital health concerns.
- Freezin' for a Reason, the MSU Student Social Work Organization promoted awareness and raised donations to assist the homeless in the region.
- Champions of Character/Dream Catchers Day, an opportunity for youth with disabilities to participate in a baseball game, with MSU student-athletes as teammates.
- A Honors class organized a cleanup and block party for a neighborhood devastated by the 2011 Mouse River Flood. The class shared its story, which resulted in the Minot Area Community Foundation's "Adopt a Neighborhood" program. The program facilitated volunteer groups, businesses or nonprofit organizations' collaboration with neighborhood leaders in the flood zones.
"We congratulate Minot State University and its students for their dedication to service," said Wendy Spencer, CNCS chief executive officer. "These institutions named to the honor roll have inspired students and faculty alike to roll up their sleeves and work alongside members of the community to solve problems and improve their neighbors' lives."
Higher education institutions on the honor roll are chosen based on a series of selection factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.
CNCS is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.
For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.
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Published: 03/07/13 |