For the second time in three years, the University of North Texas has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The distinction recognizes UNT’s students, faculty, staff and alumni for helping to build a culture of service and civic engagement in the nation.

Launched in 2006, the President’s Honor Roll recognizes institutions of higher education nationwide that support innovative, effective and exemplary community service programs. Honorees were selected based on a series of factors, including scope of innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which the school offers service-learning courses.

UNT has more than 20 student organizations that are focused on volunteerism and community service. The university also links students, faculty, and staff with community agencies and individuals in need of volunteers through the Center for Leadership and Service.

            UNT’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service also has many strong connections to the community through its service learning courses and applied fields such as emergency management, public administration, gerontology, social work and rehabilitation.  In addition the college has the nation’s only 100 percent on-line certificate in volunteer and community resource management.

            “This recognition is a result of the significant contributions our campus community – students, faculty, and staff – has made to volunteerism, community service and service learning.  We are pleased to be among such a distinguished group of institutions who are committed to community service,” said Elizabeth With, vice president of student development.

The honor roll is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service though its Learn and Serve America program. As part of a strategic plan, Learn and Serve America is working with other federal agencies, higher education, student associations and nonprofit organizations to increase the number of college students participating in community service to five million annually.

The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.