Rice named to President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

Rice University has once again been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community. The honor roll recognizes higher education institutions for exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.

The selection was made by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal agency that leads President Barack Obama’s national call to service. It is the highest federal recognition a university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, academic community service and civic engagement.

“This honor recognizes the many commitments made by Rice University to the Houston and communities throughout the U.S. and abroad,” said Mac Griswold, director of Rice’s Community Involvement Center. “Whether through participation in a one-day service project in Houston or a three-month international service fellowship in Peru, Rice students engage in learning and direct service related to the pressing social issues of our day. Our hope is that the combination of direct service activities and critical reflection of those experiences will ultimately shape civic leaders who can help solve some of society’s problems.”

The CNCS announced the 2012 honor roll March 12. Rice was among several hundred colleges and universities recognized for their volunteer efforts to impact issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth. Honorees are chosen based on such selection factors as scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

Rice’s Community Involvement Center (CIC) was established as the center for community service programming for students, faculty and staff. The CIC seeks to establish a culture of service and an ethic of social responsibility within the university community by developing one-time and ongoing service programs, advising student service organizations and serving as a resource for students, faculty and staff interested in community service and service-learning.

The CIC coordinates a number of opportunities for civic involvement throughout the year, including O-Week Outreach Day; Urban Immersion; two fairs highlighting career, internship and volunteer opportunities; the International Service Project to Guatemala; an Alternative Spring Break program; and the Loewenstern Fellowships, an international summer service fellowship program.

The CIC is one of four components of the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), led by Executive Director Stephanie Post. The CCE identifies and cultivates opportunities for Rice students, faculty and staff to engage the Houston community and the world through scholarship, service and leadership.

For the complete honor roll, visit http://myproject.nationalservice.gov/honorroll/. For more information on Rice’s Center for Civic Engagement, visit http://cce.rice.edu/.