Centre News

Centre students have spent hundreds of hours completing
community service at Bate-Wood Park (above), bringing beauty
to the local area.

For the Citizenship Project (above), Centre volunteers assist
candidates for citizenship with the application process.

Community service is a way of life with Centre students. And while commencement means that many will leave this community behind, they’ll take with them a service-minded foundation strengthened by their Centre experience and a far-reaching desire to serve the larger global community. The importance of this commitment to service has been recognized for the second year in a row by Centre’s inclusion in the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

“As undergraduates at Centre, students develop a passion for service and understanding others that extends beyond graduation,” says Patrick Noltemeyer, assistant dean of student life and director of community service and the Bonner Program. “Regardless of their chosen career field, students incorporate a deeper compassion for others that comes from engaging in community service and community-based learning. This compassion sets them apart from their peers and makes them valuable members of any team, and an asset to their community.”

More than 80 percent of Centre students regularly engage in volunteer activities locally, nationally and around the world. Some of those activities include volunteering at the local Humane Society and United Way, helping individuals become U.S. citizens through The Citizenship Project, building local parks and completing projects for Habitat for Humanity. Some even dedicate themselves to service in such far-flung locations as Malawi and Morocco.

In addition, the College’s Community-Based Learning program is integral to Centre’s commitment to service learning. The program encourages 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.

These efforts and many others contribute to Centre’s frequent appearance on service-oriented rankings, including being listed as the 10th best service-minded school in the nation in Newsweek’s and Kaplan’s first-ever college rankings, “Finding the Right College for you” guide in 2010.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll since 2006, recognizes Centre as a leader among institutions of higher education for its support of volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. The College was admitted to the 2010 Honor Roll with distinction for its strong institutional commitment to service and compelling campus-community partnerships that produce measurable results for the community.

To learn more about service opportunities at Centre, click here.