Centre News

Centre is included in Newsweek’s and Kaplan’s first-ever college
rankings, where the College is listed as the 10th best service-
minded school in the nation.

Centre students can be found volunteering with organizations in
Danville as well as across the country (and even abroad). Here,
several students and Centre's Bonner coordinator lend a hand
during a Habitat for Humanity project.

During last year’s Citizenship Project, students aided individuals
hoping to become United States citizens in the application process.

Centre College is included in Newsweek’s and Kaplan’s first-ever college rankings, published in their 2010 “Finding the Right College for You” guide. The rankings categories are tailored to address the real concerns of prospective students and their parents, and Centre is listed as the 10th best service-minded school in the nation. (Other institutions in the top 10 in this category include Bryn Mawr, Syracuse, Bates and William & Mary.)

And it’s no wonder: Community involvement and service learning come naturally to Centre students, both within and without the classroom. For example, as part of a “Race and Gender in Latin America” course, students advertised free Woman-to-Woman health clinics in local counties.

Last year, Centre was selected for the Learn and Serve America Pay it Forward program. Local non-profit agencies in Danville had a chance to add up to $5,500 to their budgets and were chosen by Centre students in an “Education Advocacy Through Non-profits” course.

Other student-initiated activities include donating prom dresses to local girls; volunteering at local humane societies and the United Way; reading to school children on Read Across America Day; lending a hand to The Citizenship Project, which is designed to help individuals hoping to become United States citizens; and many more.

As a result, Centre was named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

In fall 2009, the Community-Based Learning program was introduced at the College, encouraging professors to integrate community service into their curriculum. Available to all professors, CBL bolsters course material, broadens students’ social perspectives and provides needed services to members of the local community. Experiential learning, which includes CBL, is a major goal of the College’s strategic plan.

Kerri Howard (Centre Class of 2008), coordinator of Community-Based Learning through the VISTA AmeriCorps Program, serves as the liaison between the Boyle County and Centre College communities.

Click here to read Centre’s feature in Newsweek.