One of 690 institutions of higher education to receive this honor
Berkshire Community College was named to the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This designation is the highest honor a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.
In 2011-2012, 119 Service-Learning and 51 Community Service-Federal Work Study and SGA students performed a total of 3,939 hours of service in our community.
Service-Learning Project Highlights from BCC’s application to the President’s Higher Education Honor Roll:
With the support of a Massachusetts Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer Berkshire Community College expanded and deepened our relationship with the Pittsfield Public School System. In 2011-2012 academic year BCC Service-Learning students reached and engaged 111 Pittsfield Public School students. These 26 students were in 12 different service-learning classes taught by 11 faculty. Another 30 Pittsfield Public School youth were tutored and mentored by two America Reads America Counts students under the supervision of two Community Service Federal Work Study staff.
Berkshire Community College Service-Learning also teamed up with Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) and the Tri-Town Health Department for a Healthy Food Drive in fall 2011 with proceeds going to the Salvation Army in Pittsfield. This interdisciplinary project included three service-learning faculty and 15 students from Math, Culinary Arts and Fine Arts departments. Together, faculty and students provided 127 hours of service and 400 meals to those in need.
BCC’s collaboration with the Harvest Table is in its second year. The Harvest Table is a weekly soup kitchen providing meals to an average of 110 people every Tuesday night at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Pittsfield. In 2011-2012 five BCC students volunteered a total of 282 hours of service and provided 4,000 meals to our neighbors in need.
“Congratulations to BCC, its faculty and students for its commitment to service, both in and out of the classroom,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. “Through its work, institutions of higher education are helping improve their local communities and create a new generation of leaders by challenging students to go beyond the traditional college experience and solve local challenges.”
Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, CNCS has administered the award since 2006 and manages the program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education and Campus Compact.
More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees, can be found at nationalservice.gov.