2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Service learning programs earn President's Higher Education Award
Kate Olesin, College Staff
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: News
The University of Massachusetts has been nationally recognized with the 2007 U.S. President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for its service-learning programs on campus.
"We are delighted to receive this recognition," said John Reiff, director of the UMass Amherst Office of Community Service Learning at Commonwealth College, in a statement. "It acknowledges the amazing work that UMass Amherst faculty, students and staff have done to build sustainable programs that add value to our nearby communities."
Student Bridges, an outreach project which works with area schools and community groups, was specifically recognized. The student-initiated and funded program aims to build relationships between the state university and its surrounding communities, such as Holyoke and Springfield.
Formed in fall 2005 and funded by the Student Government Association in spring 2006, Student Bridges is a program based out of the Student Center for Educational Research and Advocacy. Student Bridges also aims to "develop and provide direct resources to increase pathways to high education for local community members; and engage in policy evaluations and advocacy designed to effect long-term, systematic enhancement of the University's outreach efforts and its accessibility to underrepresented students," according to its Web site.
The Community Service Honor Roll, created in 2006, is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement, according to a release.
Selection factors for the award included the extent and inventiveness of service projects on campuses, the percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the degree of academic service-learning courses.
Across the nation, the Community Service Honor Roll awarded six schools with Presidential Awards, and four schools were recognized as Special Achievement Award winners, 127 as Honor Roll with Distinction and 391 schools as Honor Roll.
The Community Service Honor Roll is named by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering, according to its Web site.
The corporation also administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations, according to its Web site.
As a President's Honor Roll institution, the Corporation for National and Community Service's Web site said that there are plenty of benefits, including helping to recruit students and earning recognition as a service leader in the community.
Other Massachusetts schools which earned the same award include: Mount Wachusett Community College, Simmons College, Stonehill College and Wentworth Institute of Technology.
"We are delighted to receive this recognition," said John Reiff, director of the UMass Amherst Office of Community Service Learning at Commonwealth College, in a statement. "It acknowledges the amazing work that UMass Amherst faculty, students and staff have done to build sustainable programs that add value to our nearby communities."
Student Bridges, an outreach project which works with area schools and community groups, was specifically recognized. The student-initiated and funded program aims to build relationships between the state university and its surrounding communities, such as Holyoke and Springfield.
Formed in fall 2005 and funded by the Student Government Association in spring 2006, Student Bridges is a program based out of the Student Center for Educational Research and Advocacy. Student Bridges also aims to "develop and provide direct resources to increase pathways to high education for local community members; and engage in policy evaluations and advocacy designed to effect long-term, systematic enhancement of the University's outreach efforts and its accessibility to underrepresented students," according to its Web site.
The Community Service Honor Roll, created in 2006, is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement, according to a release.
Selection factors for the award included the extent and inventiveness of service projects on campuses, the percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the degree of academic service-learning courses.
Across the nation, the Community Service Honor Roll awarded six schools with Presidential Awards, and four schools were recognized as Special Achievement Award winners, 127 as Honor Roll with Distinction and 391 schools as Honor Roll.
The Community Service Honor Roll is named by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering, according to its Web site.
The corporation also administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations, according to its Web site.
As a President's Honor Roll institution, the Corporation for National and Community Service's Web site said that there are plenty of benefits, including helping to recruit students and earning recognition as a service leader in the community.
Other Massachusetts schools which earned the same award include: Mount Wachusett Community College, Simmons College, Stonehill College and Wentworth Institute of Technology.
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