By Kelline Linton, Staff Writer

ACU has been named to the annual 2007 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, a list that recognizes universities that exhibit leadership and service among students on and off campus.

The Honor Roll distinguishes almost 600 institutions of higher education that pioneer service-learning initiatives and promote civic engagement.

Nancy Coburn, who nominated ACU to the Honor Roll, said its judges look for a variety of opportunities that engage students in service, “whether it’s volunteerism on their own or programs that draw students in on a regular basis.”

“This is just another way for ACU to be acknowledged on a national level, that we are in the game when it comes to engaging our students in service and offering them service-learning experiences,” said Coburn, director of the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center.

The Honor Roll is sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Department of Education and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. It features such educational institutions as Rice University, Texas Tech University and the University of North Texas.

Last year college students nationwide volunteered more than 297 million hours, according to the President’s Honor Roll Web site.

ACU had more than 2,800 student volunteers for the 2006-07 school year and totaled 40,000 hours of community service.

The university sponsors volunteer programs through the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center and the Service Action Leadership Team; service opportunities include Spring Break Campaigns, Study Abroad service learning, Wildcat Kids, Treadaway Kids, Service Saturdays and SALT’s Neighbor 4 Neighbor.

“One of our goals as we educate students for Christian service and leadership is to give students [service] opportunities that help students to grow, for we as Christians can’t exist for very long with a focus on ourselves and our own personal goals,” Coburn said.

To find out more about ACU’s service opportunities visit www.acu.edu/campusoffices/vslc.