Brandeis on White House honor roll for community service commitment

Brandeis University has once again been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) announced the 2013 Honor Roll recipients at the American Council on Education’s 95th annual meeting “Leading Change,” which took place on March 4 in Washington, D.C. Institutions were cited for their achievements in general community service, or in one of two special focus areas which align with the president’s education and innovation priorities, the Promise Neighborhoods model and early childhood education.

“We congratulate the awardees and the students for their dedication to service,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS in a prepared statement. “These institutions have inspired students and faculty alike to roll up their sleeves and work alongside members of the community to solve problems and improve their neighbors’ lives.”


Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, CNCS has administered the award since 2006. The honor roll annually highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community problems and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement by recognizing institutions that achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes in the communities they serve.

“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 in a prepared statement. “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.”

College students make a significant contribution to their communities through volunteering and service, according to the most recentVolunteering and Civic Life in America report. In 2012, 3.1 million college students dedicated more than 118 million hours of service across the country — a contribution valued at $2.5 billion. 


The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.