For the 10th consecutive year, Niagara University has achieved the highest federal recognition colleges and universities can receive for community service, service-learning and civic engagement.

Niagara is the only college or university from Western New York to have been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll every year since it was launched in 2006. The distinction recognizes higher education institutions that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships.

In addition to being cited in the category of General Community Service, NU was also recognized in Education.

“This is a powerful achievement and a continuing testament to Niagara University’s deep commitment to its Vincentian mission of service and social justice,” said the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., NU president. “Our students, alumni, faculty and staff are highly engaged in the community in a manner that addresses the needs of those living on the margins and supports educational, social and economic development – regionally and globally.”

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community challenges and, as a result, more students are likely to pursue a lifelong path of civic engagement that achieves meaningful and measurable outcomes in the communities they serve.

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.

Grounded in Niagara’s Vincentian heritage, service learning is a core component of the university’s undergraduate curriculum. NU students participate in more than 1,000 hours of community service each week during the academic year, an indication of the university’s commitment to depicting a measurable impact of its teaching and service mission.

In September 2011, NU established the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M. Institute for Civic Engagement as a way of centralizing its numerous service programs, which include Learn and Serve Niagara, ReNU Niagara and Border Community SERVICE.

To view the full list of 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll awardees, please visit www.nationalservice.gov/special-initiatives/honor-roll.

Source: NUNews