MUW Finishes in Top 20 for National Recognition for Community Service

COLUMBUS, Miss. (Press Release) -– For the fourth time, Mississippi University for Women has been recognized on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This year, it achieved even higher standing.

In addition to being named on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, The W was one of 16 universities named a finalist for the President’s Award, the highest honor a university can receive for its volunteer efforts. More than 760 higher education institutions were named to the honor roll this year.
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, launched in 2006, annually highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community problems and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement by recognizing institutions that achieve meaningful, measureable outcomes in the communities they serve.
Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships and measurable community outcomes as a result of service.

“We are truly honored by this recognition. I am very appreciative of all faculty, staff and students for their commitment to community service and dedication to making a difference,” said Dr. Jim Borsig, W president. “Community service is important in developing leadership skills among our students. It is also an opportunity for faculty and staff to demonstrate leadership through service on campus and in the community.”

W students, faculty and staff completed 231,000 hours of community service in 2013-14.

These hours of community services included weekend service trips to assist with disaster recovery and low- income housing projects, trips to assist staff at a children’s home with indoor and outdoor tasks, as well as service learning projects that assisted in health care and education throughout the Golden Triangle.

Jessica Harpole, W director of student life, said, “The Office of Community Service is excited that the dedication of our campus community has been honored with this recognition and that the university has been named a Presidential Service Honor finalist. We continue to work to improve our community and region through our strong tradition of community service.”
The Corporation for National and Community Service oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

CNCS 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.

For more information, visit NationalService.gov.