The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) recently announced that Waynesburg University was named to the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This is the University’s eighth consecutive year receiving the honor.
Waynesburg University was one of 115 schools on the General Community Service Honor Roll with distinction and only one of 12 in the state of Pennsylvania identified with distinction.
“We are honored to receive this award, which is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of our students, faculty and staff,” said Waynesburg University President Douglas G. Lee. “Their dedication to service continues to have a profound impact.”
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to community, service-learning and civic engagement. CNCS is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering.
The Honor Roll, launched in 2006, recognizes institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which academic service-learning courses are offered.
Waynesburg University students, faculty and staff contribute more than 50,000 service hours annually. Through its more than 50 local and regional agencies and a continuously expanding network of international agencies, Waynesburg University encourages students to become servant-leaders through a number of partnerships.
The University offers approximately 16 service mission trips each academic year. The trips are held during the fall, winter, spring and summer breaks. The University also participates in a number of weekend-long service projects in the local community and surrounding region.
In addition to volunteer hours, the University offers a service leadership minor constructed around service-learning courses. During the semester-long courses, students perform a set amount of hours of community service with a non-profit organization.
The University is one of only 21 Bonner Scholar Schools in the country. With support from the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, Waynesburg is committed to the program which was created to offer scholarship assistance to students performing significant amounts of community service throughout their time at Waynesburg. Approximately 60 (15 per class) Waynesburg University students are involved with the program each year.
Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three additional sites located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
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