PSU Excels in Community Service

On March 12, 2012, at the American Council on Education's 94^th Annual Meeting Ahead of the Curve in Los Angeles California, the announcement was made that Plymouth State University had made the 2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the sixth year in a row.

This honor only goes out to 642 institutions nation wide, six of which were located in New Hampshire.

According to a press release from Bruce Lyndes, PSU News Services Manager, "The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, [which] launched in 2006, annually highlights the role colleges and universities play in solved community problems and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement." Lyndes continues, "[It does this] by recognizing institutions that achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes in the communities they serve.

According to PSU's Community Service Coordinator Linda Corriveau, there are specific requirements an institution must meet when applying for this honor. There must be six completed projects that the school submits. Three of these projects must involve general volunteer work, the other three, however, must involve volunteer work in the class room.

Therefore, in addition to the traditional volunteer hours accumulated through participating in alternative spring breaks, organizing blood drive, toiletries drives and food drives, projects such as "The Early Childhood Professional Development School Project," "Improving Child Care Quality through Professional Preparation," and "The Teacher as Researcher," which all take place in a classroom setting, are highlighted.

Corriveau is delighted with PSU's continued success in the area of service to the community. "I think its great!" she states, continuing that, "[This honor] shows what students and faculty are doing and shows a deeper commitment to the community, which has a great reflection on the University."

In regards to continuing the success that PSU has achieved over the past six years, Corriveau highlights the fact that, "When [community service projects] are completed, more opportunities to get involved open up from there. They are self-sustaining projects." Which, in turn, are expected to be carried out by the individuals who already dedicate themselves to community service, and then efficiently passed on to the newcomers.

Getting involved in community service here at PSU is easy. If students can't commit the time to an on-going project, they can stop by the Administrative Offices upstairs in the HUB and sign up to participate in a single "Service Saturday" project. Or if a student does have the time to commit to a project, they are easily matched to an available community service opportunity based on their interests.

"Students would be amazed by what they can get out of participation in a community service project. It is a very rewarding feeling, and you learn a lot about what is going on around you, and acquire many new skills," Corriveau attests.