Gannon University has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.
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. On campuses across the country, thousands of students joined their faculty to develop innovative programs and projects to meet local needs using the skills gained in their classrooms.
“Congratulations to Gannon University and its students, faculty, and staff for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local community,” said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Our nation’s students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face. They have achieved impactful results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into practice to help renew America through service.”
The Honor Roll includes six colleges and universities that were recognized as Presidential Awardees, with an additional 115 named to the Distinction List and 621 schools, including Gannon, that were named as Honor Roll members. Honorees were chosen based upon a series of factors, including their 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.
“As a University, we are excited and proud that so many of our students have answered the call to service and volunteerism,” said Gretchen Fairley, Gannon’s director of Service-Learning. “They, along with our faculty and staff, continue to make a very positive impact through their dedication and commitment to serving others. Their hard work has benefitted non-profit agencies and organizations and has made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many.”
During the 2008-09 academic year, Gannon University recorded 77,487 hours of community service. That total includes hours contributed by students as well as faculty and staff and represents a nearly 7 percent increase in the number of hours recorded from the prior academic year.
Gannon’s hours include both service-learning – volunteerism which has a direct tie to students’ class work – and community service.
Locally, Gannon serves the community in numerous ways. Some examples include:
- Last June, Gannon student-athletes, cheerleaders, and coaches volunteered when ABC-TV’s hit show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” came to Erie to build a new home for Clara Ward, founder of the Youth Development & Family Center.
- The Gannon University Social Work Club annually hosts a Christmas Dinner and Wellness Fair that provides a full turkey dinner and clothing to hundreds of local residents who otherwise might not have much to celebrate around the holidays.
- A number of Gannon University faculty volunteered their time last May to help paint over graffiti on several buildings in downtown Erie.
- Hundreds of Gannon students annually volunteer for events like GIVE (Gannon’s Invitation to Volunteer Everywhere) Day and United Way Day of Caring.
In addition, Gannon students, faculty, and staff serve those in need nationally and internationally. Dozens of Gannon students annually devote their spring break to community service. This year, students traveled to New York City, New Orleans, Immokalee, Fla., and San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala.
In May, at the conclusion of the academic year, Gannon students will travel to Washington, D.C., for a weeklong service trip focusing on poverty, HIV/AIDS, and health care. The group’s work will include volunteering at the Father McKenna Center, a drop-in center for the homeless, and at Food & Friends, an organization that delivers meals to individuals with chronic illnesses.
