Fairfield University has been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve, oversees the Honor Roll award in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education.

"Congratulations to Fairfield University and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities," said Patrick Corvington, chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including 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. In 2009, Fairfield had more than 2,000 students engaged in community service and the number of service hours engaged in by students exceeded 22,000 hours.

At Fairfield, service learning is a pedagogical approach that links academic study and community-based service. Housed within the Center for Faith and Public Life, the service-learning program at the University facilitates connections between focused academic learning with meaningful service that addresses needs identified by and with communities.

Melissa Quan, associate director of the Center for Faith and Public Life and director of Service Learning, said, "Fairfield has been named to the honor roll every year since its inception, which speaks volumes about the university's commitment to social justice and the promotion of student, faculty and staff engagement in public and community service."

Fairfield efforts include 'Hunger Clean-Up,' an annual day of service organized entirely by a leadership board of students that oversees hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and alumni who volunteer in a variety of community organizations in Bridgeport, Fairfield, Norwalk, and Stamford while raising awareness about the persistence of hunger in our communities and nation.

Numerous programs help Bridgeport residents. Fairfield students assist with after-school programs at Bassick High School via the ‘Youth Power Partnership,' for example, while students in a service-learning course provide grant writing services for non-profits in Bridgeport. Other key  programs include the High School Engineering Academy, Community Partnership Scholars Program, and the Community Service Alliance.

Image: Fairfield University's community service efforts include 'Hunger Clean-Up,' an annual day of service organized entirely by a leadership board of students.

Posted On: 05-03-2010 10:05 AM

Volume: 42 Number: 285