SUNY Chancellor Commends 16 Campuses on National Community Service Recognition

Albany – State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher today congratulated 16 SUNY campuses for a recent recognition by President Barack Obama for their community service. The campuses were named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, which has, since 2006, annually recognized institutions of higher education for their commitment to and achievement in community service.

“This honor from President Obama affirms SUNY's long-standing, system-wide commitment to community service," said Chancellor Zimpher. “SUNY students, faculty, and staff at colleges and universities are active in civic engagement in their local communities as well as throughout the country and across the globe. Congratulations to each of the campuses on this prestigious national recognition. It is both commendable and well-deserved.”

Of the 641 schools recognized as honor roll members, 114 received distinction honors, including four SUNY campuses: Stony Brook University, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Geneseo, and SUNY Oswego.

Recognized by the 2010 Honor Roll are: SUNY Morrisville, Fashion Institute of Technology, Buffalo State College, UAlbany, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Delhi, Binghamton University, SUNY Old Westbury, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY ESF, Alfred State, and SUNY Potsdam.

Contributing to vibrant communities across New York is one of six areas where SUNY is focusing its efforts as it implements its strategic plan – The Power of SUNY. SUNY recently released a Report Card by which the system will track its progress against its commitment to community service, among other measures, over the next five to 10 years.

The President’s Honor Roll increases the public’s awareness of the contributions that colleges and their students make to local communities and the nation as a whole.

The Corporation for National and Community Service announces the annual Honor Roll award recipients, recognizing more than 600 colleges and universities for exemplary, innovative, and effective community service programs. The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the 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 scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 467,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with nearly 3 million alumni around the globe. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu 

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