Benedict College News September 21, 2011 Benedict College Wins National Civic Engagement Award Benedict College is among six educational institutions from across the country to receive the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award, by The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. Benedict College will be presented with the award during The Washington Center's annual awards luncheon, on Monday, October 3, 2011 in Washington, D.C., at the National Press Club. Dr. David H. Swinton, President and CEO of Benedict College and Mrs. Tondaleya Jackson, Director of Service-Learning and Leadership Development, will accept the award on Benedict College's behalf. "The faculty, staff, and students of Benedict College have provided countless hours of service and dedication to the surrounding community. We are humbled by this honor and take pride in seeing our campus continually embody the essence of being powers for good through service-learning," said Tondaleya Jackson. "Benedict College is a genuine role model for civic engagement in the academic community," said Dr. David H. Swinton. "The college is educating students with a quality that can't be learned in the classroom alone, the importance of getting involved, giving back and making a difference." Benedict College has a strong history of civic engagement, and in 1995 instituted service-learning as a graduation requirement. Through its Service-Learning and Leadership Development Program, students participate in a large variety of community-based activities. For an example, the program implemented an afterschool enrichment program for children, hosted a safe Halloween event called Kids Scared Straight, and started VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. This initiative has students in the business school prepare the tax returns of 200 low-income community members. "The Higher Education Civic Engagement Awards were created in 2009 to find colleges and universities that are true role models for civic engagement in the academic community," said Mike Smith, president of The Washington Center. "Benedict College has created an environment that brings students and community organizations together, showing that the best and most well-rounded academic experience is not just defined by classroom learning." The other institutions receiving the 2011 Higher Education Civic Engagement Award are Augsburg College, DePaul University, Duke University, Florida Gulf Coast University, and San Francisco State University. Honorees were chosen among 140 nominees based upon their leadership in community programs and projects. This year's award committee was chaired by Geraldine Mannion with the Carnegie Corporation's US Democracy Program and joined by Chris Caruso with GenerationOn, Thomas Ehrlich with the Carnegie Endowment for the Advancement of Teaching, Peter Levine with The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning Engagement, Heather Smith with Rock the Vote, and Michael Smith with The Case Foundation. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.