The university has been recognized as a national leader in service-learning and civic engagement, with the federal Corporation for National & Community Service commending Elon in four areas of service.
The Corporation for National & Community Service named Elon University to its 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for service efforts to America’s communities.
Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Elon University has made every list since the annual honor was first created.
The 2014 honor roll recognized recipients for one or more of four areas of service: general community service, interfaith community service, economic community service and education community service. Elon made the honor roll in each category and received a note of distinction for its interfaith community service.
A total of 766 higher education institutions were named to the 2014 honor roll.
“Service and higher education go hand in hand,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “These schools are inspiring young leaders to roll up their sleeves and work alongside community members to solve problems. By recognizing the institutions who are leading the way to achieve meaningful, measurable results for the communities they serve, we also highlight the vital role all colleges and universities play in addressing community challenges and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement.”
Elon coordinates its community service efforts through the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. The center partners with more than 80 local community agencies.
Honorees for the President’s Honor Roll were 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.
The Corporation for National & Community Service compiles the honor roll 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.