CLC earns community service distinction

For the second consecutive year Central Lakes College has been placed on the 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.

CLC is one of 13 Minnesota colleges and universities and 621 in the nation recognized in the honor roll. Others in the state recognized for efforts in 2009 are Carleton, Hamline, Gustavus Adolphus, University of Minnesota-Crookston, St. Olaf, St. Catherine, St. Thomas, Metropolitan State, Winona State, Normandale, Century and Inver Hills.

Those recognized for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors, including 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 have a long and rich history of students participating in meaningful service learning projects across many disciplines and programs at our college," said Rebecca Best, dean of workforce, economic and regional development and coordinator of service learning projects at CLC.

CLC service-learning initiatives involve college students volunteering beyond the classroom to help the community through projects that are meaningful, relevant and exemplary.

Among activities associated with service learning at CLC are helping Habitat for Humanity, Lakes Area Soup Kitchen and Northland Arboretum, school-based mentoring, reading/math tutoring in local schools and introducing the college and its programs to younger students in after-school sessions.

President Obama has made service a central cause of his administration, and through his United We Serve initiative he is calling on all Americans to make service part of their daily lives, placing a high priority on supporting and developing the role of higher institutions and their students, staff and faculty, in addressing the nation's most pressing social needs.

College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector. Last year more than 3 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service, according to the Volunteering in America study released by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The corporation fosters a culture of service on college campuses through grants, AmeriCorps incentives and initiatives to spur college service.