Temple University has once again been honored as a leader in higher education community service by being named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest national recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to service.

This is the fifth year Temple has received this distinction from The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the honor roll since 2006. The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll raises the visibility of best practices in campus-community partnerships by recognizing institutions of higher education that support exemplary community service programs.

In recent years, Temple has expanded its historic dedication to the community in a number of ways. Large-scale events such as Freshserve and the Martin Luther King Day of Service kick off each semester, bringing groups of students, faculty and staff into the community before classes begin. These large events are supplemented throughout the year with daily activities, such as serving food in local church soup kitchens, cleaning up recreation centers, planting community gardens and tutoring students after school in community centers and non-profit organizations. Additionally, approximately 1,000 undergraduates serve the community each semester through a range of academic community-based learning couses offered by Temple's Community Learning Network.

According to Temple’s Office of Community Relations, which tracks and supports volunteerism across the university, each year more than 12,000 members of the Temple community volunteer for a wide variety of community organizations. In total, Temple volunteers contribute more than 65,000 hours of service annually. The office is constantly seeking new ways to connect students to the community and members of the community to the university.

“We are proud to be recognized again for our efforts at being a good neighbor and a center for service in the region,” said Andrea Swan, director of community and neighborhood affairs. “The award is a reflection of our commitment to engaging in meaningful ways in service to our neighbors and we will continue to build on this commitment in the coming years.”