The President’s Community Service Honor Roll is a national award presented each year to institutions that demonstrate commitment to community service. The application requires each university to submit their overall community service and service-learning hours, as well as the number of students participating in each.
Each university is also expected to give in-depth descriptions of three outstanding service projects it has performed. A national committee reviews all applications and releases the Honor Roll, Honor Roll with Distinction and Presidential Honor Roll.
“It’s been very exciting to see the growth in UA student involvement in community service and service-learning initiatives over the past five years,” said Heather Christensen, research project coordinator for the University’s Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility. “Each year, we have more and more students choosing to serve and actively address problems in Tuscaloosa, West Alabama and beyond.”
Christensen said she helped put together the University’s application for the Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll award for five years.
“In addition to more students serving each year, we’ve also noticed a significant increase in the number of students choosing to serve 20 hours or more with a single community partner,” Christensen said. “This increase lets us know that UA students aren’t just showing up once for a few hours of feel-good service. They are really interested and invested in making a difference in their community.”
The University was one of 661 to be named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and one of 121 schools to receive the honor with distinction. In addition, it was one of 194 schools named to the inaugural Education Community Service Honor Roll.
“I think that the prestige of this award resounds not only in our campus and community but across the nation,” said Courtney Thomas, director of community service at the Center for Sustainable Service and Volunteerism. “One of our pillars is service, and we live that everyday.”
Thomas said this distinction shows the importance of service to some students at the University.
“The fact that UA continues to win this award year after year shows that this is truly a part of the culture of our students,” she said. “Students come to the University as people who already want to serve. We attract students who want to serve. They see that this is a place where they can go and live out their passions and be involved.”
According to a press release by the University, more than 26,000 students completed approximately 770,000 hours of community service with more than 183 community partners during the 2012-2013 academic year, and approximately 8,500 students participated in 136 service- learning courses led by faculty members.
“The thing about college is it focuses us completely on the future,” said Alise Wenner, a freshman majoring in criminal justice. “When nothing is ever in the present moment, it can be horribly frustrating, but community service is immediate. You can see the good that you do actually means something, as opposed to hoping you’ll make a change ‘one day.’”
Students who wish to get involved in community service on campus can choose from a variety of activities, including a weekly trip to the food bank and the Al’s Pals Mentoring Program.
