Rockhurst Earns Place on National Honor Roll for Community Service

Rockhurst University was named to the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the sixth consecutive year. This designation is the highest honor a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. 

“Service is part of our campus culture and a driver of our mission,” said Julia Vargas, director for the Center of Service Learning. “Through service, students become companions to those served and reflect on their role to create a just society. Our hope is that students use their gifts to transform the world, making it a better place for all people.”

Service at Rockhurst is voluntary, but more than 80 percent of students decide to take part in it at some point during their education. In fact, Rockhurst students give more than 30,000 hours annually in service to others.

“Congratulations to Rockhurst University, its faculty and students for its commitment to service, both in and out of the classroom,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Through this work, institutions of higher education are helping to improve their local communities and create a new generation of leaders by challenging students to go beyond the traditional college experience and solve local challenges.”

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 and manages the program 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.

More information about Rockhurst’s community service efforts can be found at rockhurst.edu/service. More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees, can be found at nationalservice.gov.   

About the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll 
The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll honors the nation’s leading higher education institutions and their students, faculty and staff for their commitment to bettering their communities through service. These are institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities.

About the Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, the Social Innovation Fund and other programs, and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve.