Castleton State College Receives President’s Honor Roll Award for Service School Honored for Distinguished Community Service

      The Corporation for National and Community Service named Castleton State College to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth. 
     “Castleton State College is very proud of its commitment to community service, service-learning, civic engagement and sustainability”, states Chrispin White, Director of the Stafford Center for the Support and Study of the Community at Castleton. “With programs that address the environment, poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, problems that affect today’s youth (bullying, anti-social behavior, self-esteem and obesity concerns) and other community issues, our students, faculty, staff and administrators continually work closely with our community partners to come up with real world solutions for these community concerns”. “We are very honored to receive this prestigious award”, White stated.

     Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness 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.
     The Honor Roll is jointly sponsored by the Corporation, through its Learn and Serve America program, and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
     In congratulating the winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, “Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce. We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country.”
     Overall, the Community Service Honor Roll awarded six schools with Presidential Awards.  In addition, four schools were recognized as Special Achievement Award winners, 127 as Honor Roll With Distinction members and 391 schools as Honor Roll members.  In total, 528 schools were recognized.  A full list is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.
     “There is no question that the universities and colleges who have made an effort to participate and win the Honor Roll award are themselves being rewarded,” said American Council on Education President David Ward.  “Earning this distinction is not easy.  But now each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor.”
     The Honor Roll is jointly sponsored by the Corporation, through its Learn and Serve America program, and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
     The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations. For more information, visit the Corporation for National and Community Service on the web.