VCU news

By Mike Porter

The Corporation for National and Community Service has honored Virginia Commonwealth University and other leading colleges and universities for their commitment to bettering their communities through community service and service-learning.  

VCU was admitted to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the eighth consecutive year and is one of 121 schools nationwide that earned the recognition of Honor Roll with Distinction this year.

It is the second consecutive year for VCU to be named to the Honor Roll with Distinction, which is awarded to applicants that display strong levels of institutional commitment, provide a compelling case for partnerships that produce measurable impact in the community and have a federal work-study community service percentage of 15 percent or above.

"Being named to the Honor Roll with Distinction for two straight years is a wonderful recognition of VCU’s commitment to being a national model for community engagement and regional impact," said Cathy Howard, Ph.D., vice provost of the Division of Community Engagement. “This award reflects the work of students, faculty and staff on both campuses.”

The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, launched in 2006, annually highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community problems and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement by recognizing institutions that achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes in the communities they serve.

The Corporation for National and Community Service 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.

The 2014 honor roll recipients were announced Dec. 8.

"More than 16,000 VCU students contributed 1.1 million service hours within the local Richmond community last year,” said Lynn Pelco, Ph.D., associate vice provost of the Division of Community Engagement. “Many of these students were enrolled in service-learning classes, through which students and faculty members collaborate with community members to apply their academic knowledge to address critical social issues facing our city.”

VCU’s honor roll application detailed three community projects:

·   Academic Scholars Program in Real Environments (ASPiRE) is an innovative and comprehensive community-engaged focused living-learning program in which undergraduate students learn about change through their coursework, service and residential experience. In its first year, ASPiRE established partnerships with 46 associations, agencies and nonprofits, including AmeriCorps and Richmond Public Schools.

·   The Carbon Awareness Partnership is an innovative program designed to change the way public teachers and high school students, as well as undergraduates, teach and learn about the carbon cycle. Its purpose is to raise awareness about global climate change through education and outreach.

·   MoBS (Middle of Broad + Storefront) is an innovative community-engaged design center that empowers traditionally marginalized residents, entrepreneurs and communities in the City of Richmond to participate fully in the design and development of their neighborhoods by linking them to volunteer professional architects and designers.

Visit 2014 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the full list of Honor Roll awardees and more information.