UNC Charlotte was named recently to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its exemplary commitment to service and volunteering to local communities.
This distinction is one of the highest federal recognitions an institution can receive for service-learning and civic engagement. According to University leaders, this honor recognizes UNC Charlotte’s efforts to be an integral part of the social, cultural and economic fabric of the region.
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) acknowledges the nation’s leading college and universities along with their students, faculty and staff for their commitment to bettering their communities.
UNC Charlotte’s honor roll admittance was for its involvement in various educational and cultural community collaborations. During the past academic year, the University partnered with TIAA-CREF to provide educational opportunities to Governors Village schools and with the Levine Museum of the New South to promote projects that foster social innovation through historical reflection.
UNC Charlotte’s work with TIAA-CREF produced a number initiatives throughout the school year, including a professional development conference; a job shadowing event hosted at TIAA-CREF offices; a financial literacy employee volunteer program; and athletics, arts and cultural events. Volunteers from both TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte have served as mentors, tutors and lunch buddies.
In collaboration with the Levine Museum of the New South, University faculty worked to increase awareness and infuse lessons from the award-winning exhibit “Courage” into the classroom. The exhibit showcases the significance of the 1954 Supreme Court landmark decision Brown v. Board of Education. In fall 2011, more than 20 classes at UNC Charlotte took on the challenge of debating and exploring “new courage” along with partners at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the Levine Museum.
UNC Charlotte also collaborated with numerous community organizations to bring the “Violins of Hope” exhibit to the Charlotte area. “Violins of Hope” was a multi-faceted project focused on the Americas’ premiere of 18 violins recovered from the Holocaust and restored by Israeli violinmaker Amnon Weinstein.
CNCS oversees the honor roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and 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.