King's College


FOR RELEASE	CONACT: John McAndrew
February 13, 2008	Director, Public Relations
	(570)208-5958

King's College Receives President's Honor Roll Award for Service

School Honored for Distinguished Community Service

Washington, D.C. - The Corporation for National and Community Service named King's College to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth. King's is the only Wyoming Valley institution of higher learning to be named to the Honor Roll each year since its 2006 launch.

"Service is an integral part of the King's College education. From the very first days of orientation to graduation, King's students are challenged to be persons of service to their community," said Rev. Thomas O'Hara, CSC, president of King's. "We take seriously the words of our founding President, Fr. James Connerton, CSC, 'A graduate of King's College not only knows how to make a living, but how to live.'"

The Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. 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 the school offers academic service-learning courses.

During the nine months of the 2006-07 academic calendar, King's College students and staff contributed more than 42,000 hours of volunteer service, the equivalent of almost 5 years. Coordinated through the College's Office of Volunteer Services (OVS), the volunteer efforts took place primarily at sites in the Wyoming Valley. Through the College's SERVE (Students Engaged in Reflective Volunteer Experiences) trips, students also completed service opportunities across the United States and in several foreign countries.

"College students are tackling the toughest problems in America, demonstrating their compassion, commitment, and creativity in by serving as mentors, tutors, health workers, and even engineers," David Eisner, chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, said. "They represent a renewed spirit of civic engagement fostered by outstanding leadership on caring campuses."

The Honor Roll is jointly sponsored by the Corporation, through its Learn and Serve America program, and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

In congratulating the winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, "Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce. We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country."

Overall, the Community Service Honor Roll awarded six schools with Presidential Awards. In addition, four schools were recognized as Special Achievement Award winners, 127 as Honor Roll With Distinction members and 391 schools as Honor Roll members. A full list is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll . King's was included on the Honor Roll.

"There is no question that the universities and colleges who have made an effort to participate and win the Honor Roll award are themselves being rewarded," said American Council on Education President David Ward. "Earning this distinction is not easy. But now each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor."

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency established to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations.

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