UW-Madison makes presidential honor roll for community service

The University of Wisconsin–Madison was named this week to the 2007 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll With Distinction for its efforts to promote community service and service learning on its campus.

Only six schools received a higher award — the Presidential Award for Exemplary Community Service — with 126 additional schools named to the Honor Roll With Distinction and another 391 to the Honor Roll.

"Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce," says 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."

The honor roll began last year as a joint project of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, Campus Compact and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. The program is meant to create incentives for increased volunteering at the collegiate level.

Schools apply for the honor and are judged based on the scope and innovation of their service projects, the percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers service-learning courses.

UW-Madison currently offers more than 50 service-learning courses through the continually expanding Morgridge Center for Public Service. The center, as well as many campus fraternities, sororities and student organizations, promotes volunteering and community service.