Upper Iowa University named to 2013 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
FAYETTE, Iowa (March 7, 2013) – Upper Iowa University has been named to the 2013 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This designation is the highest honor a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.
"Upper Iowa University has a long history of service-learning and believes strongly in preparing our graduates to be active leaders and participants in an ever changing world," said UIU Acting President Richard R. Patrick. "We're honored to receive this prestigious award – and owe much of the credit to the students themselves. They are the energy driving our commitment, and they are the ones who make it happen. We are grateful to our faculty and staff who provide the leadership to make these opportunities available to students, and who are personal examples of service, volunteerism and community engagement."
The three key components to Upper Iowa University's success in being named to this year's Honor Roll included on on-going water quality monitoring project of northeast Iowa streams headed by UIU's Biology Laboratory; UIU's partnership with Partners in Development for the annual service learning trip to Haiti; and the University's "Peacocks for Progress" program developed to unite the University with the immediate Fayette community and northeast Iowa region.
Additionally, Upper Iowa requires each member of a sanctioned club, organization, sorority or fraternity to complete a minimum of 10 hours of community service. The UIU Athletics Department requires its student-athletes to complete a minimum of three hours of community service. Through serving, UIU students can learn new skills, assume responsibilities, become aware of the needs of others, learn the importance of unselfish serving and giving that they will carry on into their future.
"Congratulations to Upper Iowa University, its faculty and students for its commitment to service, both in and out of the classroom," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of Corporation of National & Community Service (CNCS). "Through its work, institutions of higher education are helping 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 the Upper Iowa University community service efforts can be found at www.uiu.edu/studentlife. More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees can be found at nationalservice.gov.
About Upper Iowa University Founded in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private, not-for-profit university providing undergraduate and graduate degree programs and leadership development opportunities to some 6,200 students—nationally and internationally—at its Fayette campus and learning centers worldwide. Upper Iowa University is a recognized innovator in offering accredited, quality programs through flexible, multiple delivery systems, including online and independent study. For more information, visit www.uiu.edu.
Contact:
Monica Bayer Heaton
Associate Vice President for Communication and Marketing
Phone 563-425-5773
Cell: 515-291-2070
heatonm@uiu.edu