Centenary Receives National Award For Community Service

College named to President's Honor Roll for 2009

SHREVEPORT, La. (Centenary News Service)—Centenary College of Louisiana has been named to the 2009 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

Community Service Honor Roll banner

Chris Lavan

This is the fourth year in a row that Centenary has honored with the award for community service. Overall, the Corporation for National and Community Service honored six colleges and universities with Presidential Awards. In addition, 115 were named as Honor Roll with Distinction members and 621 schools as Honor Roll members, including Centenary College.

The Service Learning Program at Centenary College has existed for more than 16 years and serves as one of many ways in which Centenary students are given the opportunity to make their own positive difference within the local community. According to Chris Lavan, Director of Community and Intercultural Engagement, students from Centenary and across the country are helping to renew the American spirit through service to others.

"Here at Centenary, service to the local community is both a central part of the college's mission and its academic curriculum," said Lavan. "In my short time here leading the Office of Community, it's been incredible to help develop a service-learning program that's focused on making a positive difference not only locally but also nationally and internationally as well. Our students truly have the opportunity to not only serve, but to create and lead projects that both change their lives and the lives of others in remarkable ways."

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognized more than 700 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice. On campuses across the country, thousands of students joined their faculty to develop innovative programs and projects to meet local needs using the skills gained in their classrooms. Business students served as consultants to budget-strapped nonprofits and businesses, law students volunteered at legal clinics, and dozens of others organized anti-hunger campaigns.

"Congratulations to Centenary College and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities," said Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. "Our nation's students are a critical part of the equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the most persistent challenges we face. They have achieved impactful results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into practice to help renew America through service."

Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including the 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. Click here for a full list of Honor Roll recipients.

The Corporation oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and is regularly rated as one of the top colleges in the South. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in the Shreveport and Bossier City communities.