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Daemen College Named to President’s 2008 Higher Education Service Learning Honor Roll with Distinction
Daemen College has been named to the 2008 Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction – recognized as a national leader for its service learning programs. The Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and is sponsored by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development.
Launched in 2006, the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs – including commitment to volunteering, 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.
“In this time of economic distress, we need volunteers more than ever. College students represent an enormous pool of idealism and energy to help tackle some of our toughest challenges,” said Nicola Goren, acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the Honor Roll. “We salute these universities for making community service a campus priority, and thank the millions of college students who are helping to renew America through service to others.”
In academic year 2007-08, 315 Daemen students contributed tens of thousands of hours of service to Western New York and other communities in need. These students were enrolled in 22 different courses across 11 of the College’s academic departments. In 2008, 65 percent of Daemen seniors surveyed reported that their service experience contributed “quite a bit” or “very much” to their knowledge, skills, and personal development – all heightened by contributing to the social welfare of a community.
This spring, nearly 200 Daemen students are performing service at over 30 different community sites, including those in three neighborhoods in which Daemen has established long-standing partnerships: Seneca Babcock, Buffalo’s West Side, and the Fruit Belt. They are working in after-school programs, health and human service agencies, youth and senior advocacy organizations, programs for international and refugee populations, and housing rehabilitation projects. Daemen service learning students also coordinate Summer Reading Camps, organize Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs, and participate in a variety of environmental and economic recovery efforts.
Daemen’s partnership with the Seneca Babcock community is a longstanding one. Started more than a dozen years ago, Daemen students majoring in health care, English, education, and other subjects have conducted blood pressure screenings and other health tests, provided computer literacy training, and provided after school tutoring, among other assistance, to Seneca Babcock community residents.
The goal of Daemen College’s service learning program is to provide opportunities for students to become engaged learners and informed citizens while addressing a myriad of social, economic, educational, and environmental problems faced by disadvantaged populations and communities.