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The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

2007 - President's Higher Education Community Service Award Winner
for Excellence in General Community Service

Otterbein College was one of only three schools across the country to receive the Presidential Awards for General Community Service in the second annual 2007 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Read Otterbein's official press release here.

Otterbein President C. Brent DeVore, student Chelsea Merriman, and CCE Director Melissa Gilbert accept the Presidential Award Read the Corporation for National and Community Service's press release here.

Learn more about the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll here.

Read CNCS's awardee profile for Otterbein College here.

Read Chelsea Merriman's speech here, which was given at the American Council on Education's Awards Ceremony.

View certificates given from the Ohio House of Representatives here, and Westerville Mayor Anne Gonzales here.

Otterbein wins the Presidential Award for Community Service

2006 - President's Higher Education Community Service Award Finalist for Excellence in General Community Service

In 2006, Otterbein College was named one of 13 finalists for President George W. Bush's "Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll" in October.

Of 500 schools across the nation to apply for the honor, Otterbein was the only finalist from Ohio. The award honored the 58 percent of Otterbein students who participate in community service-learning activities.

"This award is a special honor because it recognizes not just one or two of our programs but rather the College's comprehensive commitment to civic engagement and service-learning," said Melissa Kesler Gilbert, director of Otterbein's Center for Community Engagement.

Programs singled out for praise by the awards committee included a service-learning project that used creative writing to increase the literacy levels of over 450 middle school students, 25 percent of whom live in distressed urban settings. In addition, Otterbein AmeriCorps members managed after-school College Clubs to create a culture of college awareness and improve academic achievement at three of the most academically challenged schools in Columbus.

The Honor Roll seeks to enhance public awareness of the contributions of college students through community and volunteer service. It is sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, the USA Freedom Corps, and the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development.

See the original press release here.

Click here to view more information on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll from the Learn & Serve Web site.

Back to Awards and Recognition