For its commitment to community engagement, North Shore Community College has received the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for General Community Service from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships. NSCC has been awarded honor roll status nine times since its inception in 2006.
“Service and higher education go hand in hand,” said Wendy Spencer, CNCS CEO. “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.”
Colleges and universities with an institutional focus on community engagement are invited to apply for the classification by submitting documentation describing the nature and extent of their engagement with the community, including examples showing alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement. Just two percent of community colleges in the U.S. have received the designation.
NSCC is among the institutions of higher education deeply embedding civic learning into its culture and serving as a state and national model. The college uses a multi-tiered approach that engages students, faculty and community partners. During the FY13 academic year, 144,000 hours of service learning, volunteerism, internships, co-ops, practicums and field experience were performed, with a value of $3.24 million to the North Shore Massachusetts region.
“Civic engagement is a key component of our mission as a student- and community-centered institution, and it is a tremendous honor to be recognized for the impactful work and commitment of our students, faculty and staff in this regard,” said NSCC President Patricia A. Gentile. “I am thrilled and honored that North Shore’s vast body of community work and engagement is being recognized and acknowledged by this prestigious organization. When you look at the collective picture of all that NSCC is doing in the community – it is most impressive and rewarding.”
“We have worked extremely hard to embed civic learning within the fabric of the NSCC experience, and to ensure that faculty and staff have opportunities to engage in meaningful and reciprocal ways within our community,” said Cate Kaluzny, NSCC’s Senior Service Learning Program Coordinator.
NSCC also holds a Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, which affirms college commitment to deepen the practice of service and to further strengthen bonds between campus and community. NSCC was one of only 12 community colleges chosen out of the 115 U.S. colleges and universities selected to receive the designation in 2010. NSCC will retain the designation through 2018, when it is next eligible to apply for reclassification.
College students make a significant contribution to their communities through volunteering and service, according to the most recent Volunteering and Civic Life in America report. In 2012, 3.1 million college students dedicated more than 118 million hours of service across the country — a contribution valued at $2.5 billion. It has been shown that students who engage in civic and community engagement are more likely to engage in lifelong practices to achieve meaningful and measurable outcomes in their communities.