Ten UNC System campuses have earned a spot on the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, a national award that recognizes institutions of higher education for their leadership in volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has made the designations annually since 2006. This year’s honorees include East Carolina University, Fayetteville State University, NC State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Greensboro, and Western Carolina University. In addition, three UNC campuses—Elizabeth City State University, North Carolina Central University, and UNC-Wilmington—earned special accolades by being admitted to the “Honor Roll with Distinction” list.  

The Honor Roll recognizes colleges and universities that engage students, faculty, and staff in community activities. The schools chosen for the 2010 list boast an array of community-focused programs and initiatives: UNC-Wilmington focuses faculty research on important public health issues with its Obesity Prevention Initiative, while Western Carolina University places student volunteers in the community through the Center for Service Learning. NCCU’s multi-faceted Closing the Gaps Community Engagement program reaches out to help enrich educational opportunities for underserved youth in the Durham area. In the Triad, UNC-Charlotte promotes literacy and student volunteerism through the ReadWriteServe program. And out East, Elizabeth City State University is helping create strategies to “integrate economic and ecological resilience” through the Albemarle-Pamlico Conservation and Communities Collaborative.

A total of 851 institutions applied for the 2010 Honor Roll, a nine percent increase over last year, a sign of the growing interest by colleges and universities in highlighting their efforts to engage students in making a difference in the community.  Of that total, 511 were named to the Honor Roll, and 114 received the recognition of Honor Roll with Distinction. 

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. For a full list of recipients and descriptions of their service, visit www.NationalService.gov/HonorRoll.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (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 Barack Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.