Work by more than 27,000 students to help communities in North Carolina was recognized by UNC’s inclusion on the most recent Presidential Honor Roll for Community Service.
Statistics from the 2010-2011 academic year were astounding; 27,732 students spent an estimated 1.3 million hours in community service of some kind. Exactly 2,410 of the students enrolled in service-learning courses; and 12,210 students completed more than 20 hours of service each semester.
Despite these remarkable figures, Carolina Center for Public Service staff who coordinate the annual nomination for the Honor Roll are certain that the statistics underreport the commitment of UNC’s students.
The Honor Roll designation recognizes the unique work of:
- the Carolina Campus Community Garden, a campus garden that increases awareness of food insecurity faced by the University’s low-wage workers and helps to offset that need;
- Carolina for Kibera, an international, nonprofit organization based in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya that exists to develop local leaders, catalyze positive change and alleviate poverty; and
- UNC Build a Block, a University-wide initiative of UNC Habitat for Humanity that raised $350,000 and provided volunteer labor to build 10 houses for UNC employee families who lived in substandard housing.
The programs exemplify the spirit of Carolina and the value of students and faculty working together with communities across North Carolina.
The Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education honored the nation’s leading colleges and universities, students, and faculty members and staff for their commitment to bettering their communities through community service and service learning.
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the initiative celebrates the transformative power and volunteer spirit that exists within the higher education community.
Carolina was honored as one of the top schools in the country for its overall commitment to service.
Published May 14, 2012.