Bryant's service learning program given national honor

University named to President's Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), on February 11, named Bryant University to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for the university's exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth.

"We're honored that the efforts of the Bryant community are being recognized in this way," said Sandra Enos, an associate professor of sociology who incorporates service learning into many of her classes. "It takes a village - or, in our case, the Bryant community - to create a culture of service. By providing service learning opportunities in the classroom and volunteer opportunities within the community, our students are acquiring the skills to implement creative solutions to some of society's problems."

Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of 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.

Service learning is incorporated in various aspects of the Bryant curriculum. All Bryant students, whether they are in the College of Business or in the College of Arts and Sciences, take an introductory management course that allows them to work with nonprofit agencies throughout a semester.

The students apply their management skills to help the organization run more efficiently and effectively, while learning about issues affecting the community. At the end of the semester, students have the chance to present their projects at a service learning fair.

Sociology majors have the option of concentrating in service learning, which provides hands-on experience working in the community while gaining insight into human behavior and social relationships.

In addition, many Bryant students participate in some form of community service through the university's Center for Student Involvement. By the end of the 2006-2007 academic year, 20 student organizations at Bryant had completed more than 9,500 hours of community service and raised nearly $109,000 for various organizations. The total number of volunteers for all community service events reached 2,700.

Some of the noteworthy student projects:

Collaborating with Rhode Island Department of Corrections to create a brochure for families and friends of inmates at the Intake Service Center of the Adult Correctional Institute in Cranston
Working with the Children's Shelter of Blackstone Valley in Pawtucket to help it raise money, paint and clean the facility
Rebuilding homes in New Orleans
Creating a summer camp for children of incarcerated parents in partnership with Girl Scouts Beyond Bars
Serving as a higher education partner with the Providence After Alliance in Springfield and Perry middle schools
Partnering with YouthBuild to help 16-24-year-olds prepare for their GEDs

"College students like those at Bryant are tackling the toughest problems in America, demonstrating their compassion, commitment, and creativity in by serving as mentors, tutors, health workers, and even engineers," said David Eisner, chief executive officer of the CNCS. "They represent a renewed spirit of civic engagement fostered by outstanding leadership on caring campuses."

The Honor Roll is sponsored by the CNCS through its Learn and Serve America program and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

"Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce," said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. "We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country."

Overall, six schools received Presidential Awards, four received Special Achievement Awards, 127 were named to the Honor Roll with Distinction, and 391 schools were named Honor Roll members. In total, 528 schools were recognized. Read a full list of honorees.

"There is no question that the universities and colleges who have made an effort to participate and win the Honor Roll award are themselves being rewarded," said American Council on Education President David Ward. "Earning this distinction is not easy. But now each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor."

The CNCS is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. It administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations. For more information, visit National Service.