Jersey City, N.J. – Saint Peter’s College has been named to the 2009 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, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognized Saint Peter’s College for its impact on issues including poverty, homelessness and environmental justice. At Saint Peter’s, as well as on campuses across the country, students joined faculty and administration to develop innovative programs and projects to meet local needs utilizing the skills gained in their classrooms.
“As a Jesuit institute of higher education, offering service-learning opportunities and assisting our students in deepening their commitment to work for justice are critical components of the Saint Peter’s College experience,” said College President Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D. “The College welcomes this distinction and hopes it encourages our students to pursue even higher service goals for 2010.”
In 2009, Saint Peter’s College students contributed 15,000 service hours to more than 50 local, regional and global causes and organizations. Of these service hours, 656 were completed through student and faculty collaboration from the College’s theology and communication departments. Students also collected more than 600 pounds of food for local hunger prevention charitable organizations.
Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including the 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.
“Congratulations to Saint Peter’s College 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. “Our nation’s students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face. They have achieved impactful results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into practice to help renew America through service.”
College students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector; in 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service, according to the Volunteering in America study released by the Corporation. Click here for a full list of Honor Roll recipients.
The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the United States Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.
Saint Peter’s College, founded in 1872, is a Jesuit, Catholic college in the liberal arts tradition located in the heart of Jersey City, N.J., with a branch campus in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and course offerings on the Jersey City Waterfront and at various corporate sites throughout New Jersey. Educating over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 50 programs, Saint Peter’s College is committed to academic excellence and individual attention, preparing students for a lifetime of learning, leadership and service in a diverse and global society.