All six institutions receiving top honors in the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll are Campus Compact members. Among those receiving the coveted Community Engagement classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 104 out of 119 are members. These honors reflect a deep commitment to engagement among Campus Compact member schools.

Boston, MA—Six colleges and universities have received presidential recognition for extraordinary contributions to service in their communities in the 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, presented February 8 at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education. All six of the schools receiving top honors are Campus Compact members.

Three institutions were recognized for the general community service category, which considers the breadth and quality of an institution’s community service, service-learning, and civic engagement programs: California State University, Fresno, Emory University (GA), and Michigan State University. Three additional institutions-Brookhaven College (TX), Duke University (NC), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City-were selected for their leadership in helping youth from disadvantaged circumstances through service programs that lower school dropout rates and prepare students for college.

“Although Campus Compact’s membership makes up about a quarter of the nation’s colleges and universities, it is no surprise to see our members so heavily represented on the Honor Roll,” says Campus Compact president Maureen F. Curley. “Our members are deeply committed to helping communities solve pressing issues and to educating students to take on leadership roles in that effort.”

A total of 635 institutions, including the six receiving top honors, were named to the Honor Roll for their community service activities during the 2007-2008 academic year. As in past years, the majority of those named to the Honor Roll are Campus Compact members. A full list is available at http://www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.

Another recent national honor was the awarding of the coveted Community Engagement classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Among 119 institutions receiving this elective classification, which was awarded through a rigorous application process, 104 are Campus Compact members. A full list can be found at http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/files/assets/2008_community_engagement.pdf

“Once again, our member institutions have demonstrated their commitment to building community work into academic and campus life,” notes Curley. “Campus Compact is proud to be able to help members create partnerships and programs that have such a tremendous positive impact on the community. We’re pleased that this work is garnering the national recognition it deserves.”

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and is sponsored by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation and the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

The Community Engagement classification is awarded for “collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.” The classification is awarded in three categories: curricular engagement, outreach and partnerships, and a combined category that includes both.

Campus Compact

Campus Compact is a nonprofit coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents—representing some 6 million students—who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. As the only national association dedicated to this mission, Campus Compact is a leader in building civic engagement into campus and academic life. For more information, visit www.compact.org.

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