04/06/12 kb

HAYS, Kan. -- Fort Hays State University has been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, which recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities.

The honor was announced at the American Council on Education's 94th Annual Meeting on March 12 in Los Angeles. The Corporation for National and Community Service oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education.

"Fort Hays State University is recognized both on campus and throughout the United States as a premier community-engaged university," said Dr. Curt Brungardt, director of the university's Centerfor Civic Leadership (CCL) and Omer G. Voss Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies.

Community service resources at FHSU include the CCL; the Service-Learning Committee; the Service Learning Fellows Program; the American Democracy Project; Tigers in Service; the Global Leadership Project; the Women's Leadership Project; Tigers in Service; and the resources assigned to the Voss Distinguished Professorship.

FHSU faculty and students have participated in numerous service activities on campus and across the state and country, ranging from efforts to reduce violence against women to addressing issues of hunger both locally and nationally, participating in disaster relief and rebuilding efforts. The Department of Leadership Studies has also participated in service-learning projects in several cities in China, beginning with issues of air and water pollution, recycling, carbon footprinting, education, health care and the elderly.

"Our university's response to tornado disasters in our state, our commitment to addressing issues of hunger in our community and throughout the U.S., our efforts to reduce violence against women and our university-wide belief in serving others throughout the world are an illustration of our institutional culture," said Brungardt.

"I'm proud to say Fort Hays State is meeting these challenges and many others," he said.

Honorees for the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school's commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.