Shepherd University honored for service
Shepherd University was recently named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, joining 113 colleges and universities around the country. This is the third year Shepherd has been named to the Honor Roll and the first year to the Honor Roll with distinction.
The award, given by the Corporation for National and Community Service, honors institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. More than 800 institutions applied for the Honor Roll, which has been administered since 2006. A total of 641 colleges and universities were named to the Honor Roll for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth. Of that total, 511 were named to the Honor Roll, 114 received the recognition of Honor Roll with distinction, 11 were identified as finalists and six received the Presidential Award.
Recipients of Honor Roll with Distinction display strong levels of institutional commitment and provide a compelling case for partnerships that produce a measurable impact in the community.
This year, Shepherd students completed a total of 34,745 community service hours with a reported 2,071 students participating. Last year, Shepherd students participated in 28,698 hours with 1,819 students participating.
Holly Frye, director of student community service, said Shepherd students embrace the opportunity to get involved with social justice issues and are serving the most vulnerable populations.
The award is based on 2010 projects, which included Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society (Shepherd raised more than $350,000 from 2003 through 2010); Alternative Spring Break experience where 38 students spent their spring break in locations working with a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in North Carolina and various nonprofit organizations around the Eastern Panhandle; and 79 participants distributed more than 40,000 pounds of potatoes to 20 area non-profit agencies serving the Eastern Panhandle.
According to Frye, Shepherd is the only school in the state to be recognized for the award.
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.