The 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll includes 635 institutions of higher learning, with six earning top honors: Brookhaven College was the only community college among those top six. The Honor Roll's Presidential Award, given each year to only a handful of institutions, is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.
Brookhaven College was recognized for its service-learning programs in this year’s special focus area, which was helping youth from disadvantaged circumstances through service programs that lower school dropout rates and prepare students for college.
“We are very mindful of the honor of this award and what it represents for our students,” said Richard D. McCrary, executive vice president and chief instructional officer. “Many of our professors have supported service-learning programs and encouraged students to take part in these opportunities, but it is our students who have donated their time and their talents and we are very proud of them.”
Brookhaven College was recognized for two programs, Brookhaven Counts and Brookhaven Reads, which partner college students with kindergarten through ninth-grade students for math and reading tutoring. The majority of these schools, in Carrollton, Dallas and Richardson, have Hispanic populations of more than 70 percent. In the course of this seven-year program, Brookhaven College students have devoted more than 33,000 service hours to improving the reading and math skills of students at the partner schools. According to the Texas Education Agency 2008 District Accountability Summary rankings, 14 partner schools received a “Recognized” status and another 10 received “Academically Acceptable” status.
Oscar Lopez, vice president for student success and enrollment management, and Yasaman Contractor, coordinator of student programs and resources, received the award on behalf of the college along with Huong Dai, the Goldblatt Scholar, awarded for community service. The six colleges and universities were recognized in two categories and include well known and well respected institutions. Three institutions were recognized for the general community service category, which considers the breadth and quality of an institution’s community service, service-learning and civic engagement programs including: California State University, Fresno; Emory University, Ga.; and, Michigan State University. Brookhaven College, Duke University, N. C.; and University of Missouri-Kansas City were recognized for leadership in the special focus area, helping youth from disadvantaged circumstances.
“We salute these universities for making community service a campus priority, and thank the millions of college students who are helping to renew America through service to others,” said Nicola Goren, acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the Honor Roll. Recent studies have underlined the importance of service-learning and volunteering to college students.
The schools were recognized during the American Council on Education Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., Feb. 8-9. In 2007, Brookhaven College was selected for the Presidential Honor Roll. The Honor Roll, launched in 2006, recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs.
For a complete list of colleges and universities named to the third annual honor roll, visit www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll. The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and is sponsored by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation and the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.
