The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has been named to the 2009 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.
“Congratulations to UTC and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities,” said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award. “Our nation’s students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face. They have achieved impactful results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into practice to help renew America through service.”
The Corporation for National and Community Service recognized more than 700 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice. On campuses across the country, thousands of students joined their faculty to develop innovative programs and projects to meet local needs using the skills gained in their classrooms.
UTC’s application featured several unusual community service projects: Best Foot Forward, a foot care program for the homeless (Nursing); assistive technology for children with disabilities (Engineering); Tax Clinic for low income residents of Chattanooga (Accounting); Positive Action with Success, an early collegiate awareness program (Center for Community Career Education); DREAMWork, a project seeking diversity in nursing (Nursing); and Gear Up to promote college readiness among low-income urban students (Education).
“Our selection brings recognition from the highest levels of the federal government for our commitment to service and civic engagement on campus and in the community,” said Chancellor Roger Brown. “Thanks to the committee who prepared the application: Dee Dee Anderson, Deborah Arfken, Cindy Carroll, Sandy Cole, Terry Denniston, Danielle East (student), Tyler Forrest (student and SGA president), Dick Gruetzemacher, Martina Harris, Janelle Malone (student), Debora Montgomery, Carol Oglesby, Meredith Perry, and Susan Ritz.”
Honorees 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. Click here for a full list of Honor Roll recipients.
College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector; in 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service, according to the Volunteering in America study released by the Corporation. Each year, the Corporation invests more than $150 million in fostering a culture of service on college campuses through grants awarded by its programs; the education awards that AmeriCorps members receive at the conclusion of their term of service to pay for college; and through support of training, research, recognition, and other initiatives to spur college service.
The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more 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 .
