Drake University was recently named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll from The Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education. This is the first time Drake has received the honor.
The Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of best practices in campus-community partnership. Factors considered for this award include 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 measureable community outcomes as a result of the service.
According to Drake’s application, 626 students engaged in academic service-learning and an additional 1,026 students engaged in other forms of community service. These students contributed a total of 84,150 hours of community service during the 2010-2011 academic year.
“This is an important honor because it’s a demonstration of our dedication to our community,” says Mandi McReynolds, Drake’s service-learning coordinator.
Examples of service-learning at Drake include the Adult Literacy program, service-learning in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the Drake Legal Clinic.