UNC Wilmington Named to Presidential Community Service Honor Roll
2/9/2009 1:13:03 PM
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As volunteer labor becomes increasingly essential to the function of our nation, the University of North Carolina Wilmington is being recognized on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service to America's communities.
Administered by the government's Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the Honor Roll serves as the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service learning and civic engagement.
Since the beginning of the 2007-08 academic year, UNC Wilmington students have contributed more than 55,850 recorded hours of community service and service learning. This contribution of time has an economic impact of more than $1,089,500, according to estimations of the Independent Sector nonprofit coalition.
UNCW Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo said, "I am thrilled that UNCW has been recognized nationally for the numerous ways in which our faculty, staff and students reach out to communities in North Carolina, the U.S. and the world. We consistently challenge our campus creatively to apply their knowledge to real-world situations. In these challenging economic times, I am especially proud that our Seahawk family is volunteering its time, talents and knowledge to projects that improve our world."
Student leaders like Melissa Salvatore have helped UNCW earn recognition on the increasingly competitive Honor Roll every year since its inception in 2006.
Salvatore, co-president of UNCW's Amnesty International chapter and a service fellow in the UNCW Center for Leadership Education and Service (CLES), has dedicated her life to enacting change in the world. In 2008, she received the N.C. Campus Compact Community Impact Student Award for her numerous service efforts, including organizing a tutoring program at the Boys and Girls Club, two Hunger and Homelessness Awareness weeks, a Valentine's Day dance for seniors, a night for Darfur refugees to share their stories and a campus-wide canned food drive.
Salvatore said, "UNCW has challenged me to act on the social problems I see. I want to make a difference and this is the perfect place to get support and start empowering people to create change." Salvatore noted her involvement with an inner-city reading program through UNCW and the Wilmington Housing Authority as "one of the most rewarding volunteer programs I've ever been part of – life changing."
Nationally, 635 schools were represented on this year's Honor Roll, based on scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the breadth of academic service-learning courses. CNCS cites that service learning and volunteer experience is essential for both the growth of a community and the development of students into well-rounded job candidates and citizens. Awards for the 2008 Honor Roll were announced today, Monday, Feb. 9.
Stephen Goldsmith, vice chair of the Board of Directors of the CNCS, said, "In this time of economic distress, we need volunteers more than ever. We salute UNC Wilmington for making community service a campus priority, and thank the millions of college students who are helping to renew America through service to others." The CNCS is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering: www.nationalservice.gov.
Interviews with Salvatore and others are available upon request.
Media contact:
Joy Davis, UNCW Marketing and Communications, 910.916.8603 or davisjc@uncw.edu
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Habitat for Humanity Service 2007
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