University of Dubuque Receives President's Honor Roll Award for Service
Mar 19, 2012 | University of Dubuque Theological Seminary
The University of Dubuque has been named to the 2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.
"It is an exciting honor for the University of Dubuque to receive this distinction for the 2010-2011 school year," said Danielle Kuboushek, assistant director of student activities and in charge of applying for this honor roll on behalf of the University. "Service is an important part of the University of Dubuque'sMission, woven through our campus culture. The award recognizes the time and passion our students, faculty, and staff have poured into serving the community in numerous ways and venues, including class projects, student organization fundraisers and programs, ventures during New Student Orientation, and individual efforts."
The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, an initiative that celebrates the transformative power and volunteer spirit that exists within the higher education community.
Numerous academic initiatives at University of Dubuque are designed to provide students opportunities to use the skills they learn in the classroom to meet real needs in the community. The University's commitment to service begins for first-year students each August with a workday at the Mines of Spain, a local nature preserve. As part of their sophomore seminar, students research and assist a local community service agency. Throughout their years at UD, students also participate in service projects planned in residence life, as Wendt Character Scholars, in the athletic program, with their fraternities or sororities, in campus ministry, and across the curriculum.
"We applaud the Honor Roll schools, their faculty and students for their commitment to make service a priority in and out of the classroom," said Robert Velasco, Acting CEO of CNCS. "Through service, these institutions are creating the next generation of leaders by challenging students to tackle tough issues and create positive impacts in the community. Together, service and learning increase civic engagement while fostering social innovation among students, empowering them to solve challenges within their communities."
College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector; in 2010, 3.1 million college students dedicated more than 312 million hours of service to communities across the country, service valued at more than $6.6 billion. Business and law students offer tax preparation and legal services, and college student volunteers provide meals, create parks, rebuild homes after disasters, conduct job training, run senior service programs, and much more.
CNCS 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. 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 for National and Community Service 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.
