Westminster College Named to President's Honor Roll for Seventh Consecutive Year

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) honored Westminster College with a place on the 2013 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.

Westminster has earned Honor Roll recognition every year since the program was launched in 2006.  More than 1,200 Westminster students volunteered nearly 32,000 hours last academic year (2011-2012) through academic service-learning or other community service.

"A central theme of our curriculum is to foster strong personal and social values as an important outcome for our future graduates," Westminster President Dr. Richard H. Dorman said.  "Westminster College is proud to have been recognized for its commitment to service-learning by the Corporation for National and Community Service for the seventh straight year.  It affirms that we are succeeding in this mission."

The Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement.  Honorees were chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school's commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.

"Westminster has a long history of service-learning and believes strongly in preparing our graduates to be active leaders and participants in an ever-changing world," said Dr. Patrick Krantz, director of Westminster's Drinko Center for Experiential Learning, who tracks the hours and projects.  "We're honored to receive this prestigious award and owe much of it to the students themselves.  They're the energy driving our commitment and they're the ones who make it all happen."

A sampling of local organizations that benefit from Westminster student volunteers include: Lawrence County Community Action Partnership, Head Start, local school districts, Walker Neighborhood House, Adult Literacy Center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Cray Youth and Family Services, Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, Special Olympics, Royal Family Kids Camp, Habitat for Humanity, Origins Neighborhood House, and the American Cancer Society.

"Congratulations to Westminster College, its faculty, and students for its commitment to service, both in and out of the classroom," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS.  "Through its work, institutions of higher education are helping improve their local communities and create a new generation of leaders by challenging students to go beyond the traditional college experience and solve local challenges."

Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, CNCS has administered the award since 2006 and manages the program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education and Campus Compact.

Visit www.NationalService.gov for more information about the Honor Roll and a complete list of recipients. 

The Drinko Center for Experiential Learning was created to enrich undergraduate education at Westminster through advancing world-class teaching as well as by participating in collaborations that address community and regional needs including strengthening K-12 education.  Visit www.westminster.edu/drinko to learn more about the Drinko Center.

Contact Krantz at (724) 946-6097 (email krantzpd@westminster.edu) or visit www.westminster.edu/drinko for additional information about the Drinko Center and its programs.