Ivy Tech Bloomington awarded highest federal recognition for community service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2012

Ivy Tech Bloomington awarded highest federal recognition for community service

Ivy Tech-Bloomington has been named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This is the sixth year in a row Ivy Tech-Bloomington has been awarded. The Honor Roll’s Presidential Award is the highest federal recognition an institution can receive for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Ivy Tech-Bloomington was among 642 schools to be selected nationwide.

“Civic engagement is embedded in the campus culture,” said Ivy Tech-Bloomington Chancellor John Whikehart. “Ivy Tech-Bloomington’s volunteerism and service-learning activities are part of the campus’ mission to model a service-oriented learning environment. Every year, service-learning and volunteer activities are organized and tracked through Ivy Tech-Bloomington’s Center for Civic Engagement.”

Ivy Tech’s Bloomington campus reported nearly 20,208 hours of volunteer service from May 2011 to May 2012, serving 80 nonprofit agencies in the area. This year, Ivy Tech-Bloomington offered 71 service-learning courses for students, up from 36 courses in the academic year 2010/2011.

In a dollar figure based on national volunteer averages from Independent Sector (www.independentsector.org), Ivy Tech-Bloomington’s economic contribution of both service learning and volunteerism is $891,167.42 up from $632,956.23 in the academic year 2010/2011.

The Center for Civic Engagement (http://www.ivytech.edu/bloomington/civicengagement) was established at Ivy Tech’s Bloomington campus in 2004 to bring focus to individual volunteerism, service-learning in the classroom, and community involvement. The Center for Civic Engagement is also the host of community engagement programs like Ivy Tech’s O’Bannon Institute for Community Service held each spring.

Ivy Tech’s North Central campus also received the award this year. For a full list of colleges awarded in Indiana and nationwide, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/2012_hr_awardees.pdf

About the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the U.S. Department of Education.

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of best practices in campus-community partnerships. The Honor Roll’s Presidential Award is the highest federal recognition an institution can receive for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement.

About Ivy Tech Community College

Ivy Tech Community College (www.ivytech.edu) is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 200,000 students annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.

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