The University of Alabama has been honored for its commitment to improving the community through service and service-learning partnerships.
The Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education have placed UA on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction.
This marks the fifth consecutive year that UA has earned the honor.
“UA students, faculty and staff have a strong commitment to civic engagement tied to a history of community-university partnerships,” Stephen Black, director of the UA Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, said in a news release. “The range and quality of volunteer and service-learning programs members of the campus community lead throughout our state, and even in other parts of the world, are phenomenal, and it’s wonderful to see that commitment formally recognized.”
During the 2012-13 academic year, more than 26,000 UA students completed around 770,000 hours of community service with more than 183 community partners. An estimated 8,500 students participated in 136 service-learning courses led by faculty members from every college on campus.
The community service projects included the annual Beat Auburn Beat Hunger food drive, the Al’s Pals mentoring program and the UA/Tuscaloosa Pre-K Partnership.
A total of 661 higher education institutions were named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. UA was one of 121 schools to receive the honor with distinction.