By Dan Nonte, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 11-6-06
Students work in the Servant Garden, which provides fresh produce to feed the hungry.
GREENSBORO, NC – Service is more than a motto at UNCG, where students performed more than 18,000 hours of community service last year.
As a result of its commitment to service, the university has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The honor was announced at the Campus Compact 20th-anniversary celebration Oct. 17 in Chicago.
Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,000 college and university presidents dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service-learning. UNCG is a charter member of North Carolina Campus Compact, and Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan serves on its Executive Board.
“Combining academic studies with civic engagement brings to life UNCG’s longstanding commitment to service,” said Dr. Cathy Hamilton, director of UNCG’s Office of Leadership and Service-Learning.
“In addition to helping our community, region, state and country, this enables our students to explore career options, test personal and professional goals, and witness the impact of a committed group of people working together to create a better society.
“The skills needed for a functioning democracy are those very skills that students are able to foster through their interactions with the complexity of community engagement.”
Among other efforts last year, UNCG students, faculty and staff raised money and collected food, clothing and books for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Five groups from UNCG traveled to the Gulf Coast to aid in recovery work. The Office of Leadership and Service-Learning is organizing a winter break nother trip to New Orleans during winter break.
Many of the university’s contributions to the community are made through service-learning courses. During the past academic year, 767 students enrolled in service-learning courses and, through these courses, completed more than 13,000 hours of service.
Service has always been important on the campus. The State Normal and Industrial School, which eventually became UNCG, opened in 1892 as North Carolina’s first state-supported institution of higher education for women. Students felt a responsibility to serve their communities and adopted the motto “Service” early in the 20th century.
To learn more about opportunities for service and the Office of Leadership and Service-Learning, visit olsl.uncg.edu.
