RIT Earns National Honor for Community Service, Volunteerism

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RIT has earned the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction award for community service and volunteerism.

Rochester Institute of Technology has been nationally recognized for its commitment to volunteering, service learning and civic engagement by earning a place on the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. In 2009, approximately 9,000 RIT students logged more than 270,000 hours of service.

The honor is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive in the areas of community service and volunteerism. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including the scope and innovation 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.

Mentioned in RIT’s award proposal: 150 students and 100 faculty/staff members volunteered nearly 30,000 hours constructing sustainable housing; 25 students volunteered for alternative spring break programs such as Habitat for Humanity and working in soup kitchens; 35 students and faculty spent 5,300 hours actively participating in the Nova Academic Mentoring Workshop which offers opportunities for area high-school students to explore science and technology on campus while providing mentoring opportunities for RIT students.

“This award is truly an honor for all the students, faculty and staff who share their time and talent to serve the greater community, and we are grateful to be able to partner with so many different community organizations who give our students an opportunity to learn from others outside of RIT as well,” says Molly McGowan, director of RIT’s Leadership Institute and Community Service Center.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognized more than 700 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice.