Wesleyan College has been named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the ninth consecutive year. The highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement, the Honor Roll recognizes institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships. The Corporation for National and Community Service has administered the award since 2006 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, Campus Compact, and the Interfaith Youth Core. Wesleyan College has been named to the list every year since it was established, and received the Honor Roll with Distinction classification in 2008, 2009, and 2010. 

The Corporation for National and Community Service recognized more than 700 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including the 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. 

 “Service and higher education go hand in hand,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “These schools are inspiring young leaders to roll up their sleeves and work alongside community members to solve problems. By recognizing the institutions who are leading the way to achieve meaningful, measurable results for the communities they serve, we also highlight the vital role all colleges and universities play in addressing community challenges and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement.”

Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community challenges. As a result, more students are likely to pursue a lifelong path of civic engagement that achieves meaningful and measurable outcomes in their communities. 

Wesleyan students are connected with the community through The Lane Center for Service and Leadership. Officially dedicated during 2006, the Lane Center initiates community leadership development and coordinates projects, such as the nationally recognized Aunt Maggie’s Kitchen Table program, Lane Center Tutors & Servant Leaders, and WOW! Days for Macon. Service learning is a cornerstone of Wesleyan’s curriculum and is integrated fully into the classroom experience. Although not a requirement, more than two-thirds of Wesleyan’s students are actively engaged in community service activities.

College students make a significant contribution to their communities through volunteering and service, according to the most recent Volunteering and Civic Life in America report. In 2012, 3.1 million college students dedicated more than 118 million hours of service across the country — a contribution valued at $2.5 billion.