University Again Named to President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
Students clean up Beacon Hill as part of University service efforts that extend to the community, the nation and the world..
The Corporation for National and Community Service has named Suffolk University to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the fourth straight year.
Suffolk University students spend more than 9,000 hours serving the community annually in activities ranging from tutoring and mentoring schoolchildren to representing indigent tenants through one of the Law School’s many legal clinics.
The University encourages an ethos of service among its students by offering opportunities for practical community experience that also enhance classroom learning. These activities help students develop a greater understanding of social justice and advocacy, achieve a sense of personal growth and discover opportunities for leadership development.
Suffolk University service efforts are organized by S.O.U.L.S. Center for Community Engagement and the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service.
Reaching out after Hurricane Katrina
The Corporation for National and Community Service has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, when it was inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Suffolk University students joined these efforts, forgoing their traditional spring break vacations to help build in a hurricane-ravaged area of Mississippi.
The University has sponsored similar Alternative Spring Break community service trips for 13 years. More than 150 students and staff fanned out across the country this past March to engage in activities at 12 locations. And, since 2007, an Alternative Winter Break service-learning program has traveled annually to El Salvador.
“Communities are strengthened when we all come together, and we are encouraged that these institutions and their students have made service a priority,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Civic engagement should be a key component of every student’s education experience. Through reaching out to meet the needs of their neighbors, these students are deepening their impact, strengthening our democracy and ultimately preparing themselves to be successful citizens.”
Carnegie Foundation recognition
The Carnegie Foundation has recognized the University’s efforts with the Community Engagement Classification.
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll program is managed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education and Campus Compact.