CSU, Chico Nationally Recognized for Community Service
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 27, 2006
Joe Wills
530-898-4143
CSU, Chico Nationally Recognized for Community Service
California State University, Chico was one of 10 colleges or universities in the U.S. named last week as finalists to the President's Higher Education Community Service Award for Excellence in General Community Service.
More than 500 schools submitted entries to receive the award, which was made by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation for National and Community Service is an independent federal agency created to foster volunteerism and service in the U.S.
The awards announcement came at a national meeting Oct. 17 in Chicago commemorating the 20th anniversary of Campus Compact, a coalition of nearly 1,000 college and university presidents that highlights student service. CSU, Chico President Paul Zingg and Deanna Berg, program manager of CSU, Chico's Community Action Volunteers in Education (CAVE), attended the meeting.
Along with CAVE, CSU, Chico's Community Legal Information Center (CLIC) was featured in a program distributed at the meeting. CAVE student volunteers served more than 30,000 clients over the past year, while CLIC volunteers provided free legal referrals and information to more than 12,000 low-income and incarcerated people in 2005-06. Both are programs of CSU, Chico's Associated Students.
"The honor recognizes something that we at the University and in the Chico community already know," said Zingg. "Through CAVE, CLIC and other service organizations and activities, we are a University of compassion and engagement."
Other CSU, Chico programs cited were Minds in Motion, which brought 4,000 schoolchildren to campus to introduce them to engineering, and the University's America Reads program, which included 25 CSU, Chico students tutoring more than 300 elementary and secondary students.
"It wasn't just CAVE or CLIC that I believe got the attention of the judges, but the whole culture of our campus," said Berg. "We've been doing community service for a long time, but now we're being recognized on the national level for our campuswide commitment."
National winners of the community service excellence award were Elon University, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, and CSU, Monterey Bay. Other finalists along with CSU, Chico were Chaminade University of Honolulu, Niagara University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Otterbein College, Stetson University, Stonehill College, University of Michigan and University of Virginia.
"This honor underscores that national distinction can flow from a local and regional orientation," said Zingg. "To be celebrated among the top 1 percent of the nation's colleges and universities for community service means that we are fulfilling well our mission of regional engagement and that we should be encouraged to do even more."
CSU, Chico was also named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for General Community Service. Three other CSU campuses - San Jose, San Marcos and San Luis Obispo - also received this honor. The honor roll is co-sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.
The CSU Chancellor's Office recently produced videos showcasing community service projects at CSU, Chico and five other CSU campuses. The video about service throughout the CSU and the individual campus videos can be viewed online.
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