Winthrop Named to 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

Quick Facts

During the 2009-10 academic year, Winthrop students helped with the York County Hunger Project and the Potato Drop to combat hunger in the local community and with financial literacy and other life lessons.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 641 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth.

ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) honored Winthrop University this spring as a leader among institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. Winthrop was admitted to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community.

During the 2009-10 academic year, Winthrop students helped with the York County Hunger Project and the Potato Drop to combat hunger in the local community and with financial literacy and other life lessons. The projects highlights were:

• The York County Hunger Project involved 1,700 students, 50 faculty members and staff who worked to prepare meals for needy children and seniors, walked in the CROP Walk to raise money or collected 13,000 cans of food.

• The Potato Drop was a one-day service and educational event held during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. More than 40,000 pounds of gleaned potatoes were delivered to the campus and students worked for several hours to bag them in 5-pound bags for delivery to local food pantries and soup kitchens. Winthrop received the “Youth Partnership Award” from Second Harvest Food Bank for its outreach efforts.

• A Winthrop Students in Free Enterprise project involved working with business classes at a local high school to teach financial literacy, ethics and communication skills to at-risk students.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 641 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth. Of that total, 511 were named to the Honor Roll, 114 received the recognition of Honor Roll with distinction, 11 were identified as finalists, and six received the Presidential Award.

A total of 851 institutions applied for the 2010 Honor Roll, a nine percent increase over last year, a sign of the growing interest by colleges and universities in highlighting their efforts to engage students in making a difference in the community.

CNCS oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.

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