Emmanuel Honored with Distinction by Corporation for National and Community Service
March 03, 2010
Emmanuel College was named to the 2009 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction this week, one of just four Massachusetts colleges/universities to earn the award. The President's Honor Roll increases the public's awareness of the contributions that colleges and their students make to local communities and the nation as a whole. It is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.
Emmanuel was honored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award.
"Congratulations to Emmanuel College and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities," said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. "Our nation's students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face. They have achieved impactful results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into practice to help renew America through service."
"This honor is a testament to our students and their strong dedication to serving others," added Emmanuel College President Sister Janet Eisner, SND. "At the core of Emmanuel College and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur is a commitment to social justice and service to the community. Our students find ways to live their values through service programs as they volunteer time to organizations locally, nationally and globally. They are active in spiritual retreats, Liturgical celebrations and gospel reflection through our Campus Ministry programs, and engage in discussions of contemporary theological and social justice issues with Sisters of Notre Dame from around the world through our Center for Mission and Spirituality."
Emmanuel is one of 115 colleges and universities around the country recognized by the Corporation for National and Community Service in its 2009 Honor Roll with Distinction. 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.
Throughout the 2008-2009 academic year Emmanuel students completed 31,325 service hours. These hours included volunteer activities such as New Student Day of Service, America Reads, the Sunday Service Group, toy drives, community clean-ups and many others.
One of Emmanuel's most popular programs is its Alternative Spring Break Program, which takes place March 6th-13th. This year, 60 members of the College's community will give up their vacations to work in rural south communities still digging out from Katrina, or working in deeply impoverished communities in West Virginia and Arizona.
"Our student volunteers will go anywhere and do anything to help people who are suffering the effects of devastation or who are living in abject poverty," said Deirdre Bradley-Turner, associate director of community service and service learning. "They could be relaxing on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean, but they choose to give up the traditional spring break for the opportunity to serve people in need. It makes us very proud as they go off as ambassadors of Emmanuel College."
The Corporation for National and Community Service oversees the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.
Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.
