William Carey University Received National Recognition for Community Service
Hattiesburg, MS, March 2, 2010 - William Carey University 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.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, 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. Business students served as consultants to budget-strapped nonprofits and businesses, law students volunteered at legal clinics, and dozens of others organized anti-hunger campaigns.
“Congratulations to William Carey University 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. “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 Honor Roll includes six colleges and universities that are recognized as Presidential Awardees, with an additional 115 named to the Distinction List and 621 schools named as Honor Roll members. 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.
William Carey University students are heavily engaged in community service. During the 2008-2009 academic year, 1557 Carey students participated in community service, volunteering over 22,074 hours. The number of student volunteers in 2009 is up 285 from 2008 and the amount of volunteer hours in 2009 is up 6022 hours from 2008.
Dr. Scott Hummel, vice president for institutional advancement and church relations, said, “Academic service learning is embedded into many courses and programs. For example, nursing students organize health fairs on the coast, in New Orleans, and in Hattiesburg. Music therapy students spend extensive internships in hospitals and psychiatric facilities. Other examples of community service abound. Through student organizations, Carey students have tutored, given blood, dispersed food and clothing, and volunteered for a host of service organizations. Twice a year, the WCU Baptist Student Union organizes ‘Hubserve’ during which over a hundred students fan out across Hattiesburg to beautify the city. Carey students not only serve in Hattiesburg, they serve across the United States and the world, including places such as Connecticut, New Orleans, Peru, China, and Brazil.”
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.
WCU junior religion major Pavel Urruchi of Lima, Peru works with other Carey students to clear a lot during Hubserve, a program where students help beautiful the city of Hattiesburg.