February 26, 2010
University of Wyoming students chopped and stacked wood to be used to heat the home
of an elderly woman who ran out of wood, her only source of heat. The wood-chopping
project was among community service activities during a recent service day sponsored
by the UW Center for Volunteer Service. Tiger Tree, a local land management company,
donated the logs. (CVS Photo)
The University of Wyoming 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 the University of Wyoming 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. "They have achieved impactful
results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into practice to help renew
America through service."
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.
"We're really excited to have received this honor for the second year in a row," said
Katie Kleinhesselink, coordinator of the UW Center for Volunteer Service. "The students
at UW consistently demonstrate a real commitment to our community in so many ways-it's
always awesome to see them get the recognition they deserve. And, of course, we hope
it will inspire even more students to get involved."
During the 2008-2009 academic year, more than 2,800 UW students volunteered almost
82,000 hours in the community through extracurricular service projects, academic internships,
and AmeriCorps service.
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.
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.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages
more five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn
and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative,
United We Serve. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.
