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| December 2006
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ALUMNI NEWS |
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AU students have done it again. In recognition of more than 3,500 students volunteering thousands of hours each year, AU was named to the first President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for distinguished community service. The university’s efforts to provide opportunities for volunteer work in the local, national, and international communities has given AU students the opportunity to stand out among their colleagues as dedicated service volunteers. Fewer than 500 educational institutions were named to the President’s Honor Roll. Schools were recognized based on students’ efforts to contribute their time, resources, energy, and skills during the past year to service America. Among them were nearly 150 institutions honored for strengthening surrounding communities and those in the Gulf region affected by Hurricane Katrina through exceptional service work. “American University has set a strong example for college-level civic engagement,” says Stephen Goldsmith, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a cosponsor of the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. “Many people and communities have been improved because AU and its students identified some of society’s most pressing needs and got involved.” AU’s continued service supports new findings from a Corporation for National and Community Service study that found an increase of student volunteers from 2002 to 2005 by 20 percent. By using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the study also found that 3.3 million college students are volunteering within their community and nation. The positive change in volunteers nationwide shows a larger picture of AU’s motto of turning “ideas into action and action into service.” AU was ranked 12th among medium-sized schools for being one of the largest Peace Corps volunteer-producing universities in the country last year. “We believe service is essential to the well being of our community and to our development as compassionate human beings and productive citizens,” says Marcy Fink Campos, director of AU's Community Service Center. The Community Service Center offers students a variety of local service options for volunteer work in addition to the Freshman Service Experience, D.C. Reads, Facilitating Leadership in Youth, the Eagle Endowment for Public and Community Service, Washington College of Law's “In My Back Yard” annual public service day, the Pro Bono Honors Pledge program, and the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy program. AU students also participate in a variety of international service programs such as Learning Enterprises and AU’s alternative break program. -Tara
Shlimowitz '08 |
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