The University of Notre Dame has been named with distinction to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in recognition of the role it plays in solving community problems; achieving meaningful, measurable outcomes in the communities it serves; and placing students on a lifelong path of civic engagement.
Notre Dame is one of four Indiana colleges and universities to be selected with distinction. The Corporation for National and Community Service releases the Community Service Honor Roll annually.
“At Notre Dame, we consider community service an integral component of our mission to educate the heart and the mind,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president. “I am always impressed by the numerous ways our students and employees choose to serve others both in the local community and across the world.”
Community service and community engagement efforts at Notre Dame range across University units and are integral to the academy. Last year, the University offered 119 community-based learning courses and had more than 200 undergraduate students engaged in community-based research. Community service and engagement efforts include mentoring by student-athletes; teacher professional development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; tutoring and arts programming at the Robinson Community Learning Center; and service through student clubs and organizations.
Last year alone, Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns (CSC) estimates that 3,436 Notre Dame students gave more than 188,000 hours of service at 60 local community agencies, a 3 percent increase in the number of students from the previous year. Nationally, 1,139 students took part in service-learning courses at more than 331 sites as part of the CSC Summer Service Learning Program or the Social Concerns Seminars. All of these efforts would not be possible without the insight, expertise and commitment of community partners locally and nationally.
Launched in 2006, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll annually recognizes institutions of higher education for their commitment to and achievement in community service. The President’s Honor Roll increases the public’s awareness of the contributions that colleges and their students make to local communities and the nation as a whole.
Contact: Jay Brandenberger, director of research and assessment, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-5293, jbranden@nd.edu