For the sixth straight time, Missouri Western State University has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and community engagement.

“Missouri Western identifies ‘service’ first in the list of six university values that are central to our mission, and it’s extremely gratifying to be publicly recognized for serving the people of northwest Missouri,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Western’s president. “I thank the students, faculty and staff who give so selflessly of their time and talents in service to our community.”

The Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education honored 690 colleges and universities for their commitment to bettering their communities through university and service learning by including them in the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

“In all, our students engaged in more than 99,000 hours of community service last year, with about 3,500 students engaging in academic service-learning,” said Dr. Judy Grimes, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “That service not only benefits the region, it helps to teach our students valuable lessons beyond the classroom.”

Missouri Western submitted three projects for consideration:

  • College for Kids (sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and the Center for Multicultural Education): An unconventional method of increasing elementary school student motivation and interest in both academics and higher education.  The College for Kids program hosted 40 Humboldt Elementary School sixth-grade students at Missouri Western once a month for the entire school year culminating with a graduation ceremony where students received “diplomas.”  The focus was to instill within the participants an understanding of college life and to provide Missouri Western students with professional development and leadership opportunities.
  • “Operation A Dollar Away” (sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and the Center for Multicultural Education): This project was geared toward involving college students in efforts to eliminate hunger and homelessness in the St. Joseph community while educating them about the worldwide epidemics.  Over 30 student volunteers over the course of 5 months served approximately 1,000 people at the Open Door Food Kitchen; 45 volunteers prepared food, served meals and facilitated activities for a 40-bed all male shelter at St. Joseph Haven; and 28 volunteers prepared more than 500 boxes of subsidized and donated food items that were distributed to 500 families in the St. Joseph community through Second Harvest.
  • Night Out on the Griffs (sponsored by the Missouri Western Student-Athlete Advisory Committee—SAAC): This community engagement activity was designed and directed by SAAC.  It allows parents from the St. Joseph community to drop off their children at our indoor sports facility for an evening in which student-athletes lead numerous activities including basketball, dodge ball, soccer, jump roping, face painting, coloring and even a room to watch movies and eat popcorn.  More than 100 area children participated in the event with more than 150 student-athletes volunteering their time to make it a wonderful event for the children.  In addition, student-athletes participated in nearly 20 additional community service projects donating over 110 hours including:  backpack buddies, food drives, Special Olympics and more.

Visit www.nationalservice.gov/about/initiatives/honorroll.asp for the complete list of honor roll recipients.

“We congratulate the awardees and the students for their dedication to service,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “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.”

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.