April 5, 2012
For Immediate Release

University Marketing & Communications: Mike Rigert (801) 863-6807
Written by: Jim Rayburn (801) 863-8504

For the sixth year running, the Corporation for National and Community Service has recognized Utah Valley University for its support of volunteerism, civic engagement and service learning.

CNCS has also placed UVU on its Honor Roll With Distinction for the second straight year — an honor bestowed on only 110 institutions of higher education in U.S. The University of Utah is the only other Utah college or university to receive this same recognition for 2011.

“We look at this honor as kind of a benchmark, and that by reaching this benchmark we know that our efforts are exceptional,” said Alexis Palmer, director of UVU’s Volunteer & Service-Learning Center. “It is impressive to be a part of an institution where community engagement is central to our mission.”

CNCS has administered its President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll since 2006. UVU has been on that list every year. For 2011, 513 institutions were named to the Honor Roll, while 110 received the recognition of Honor Roll With Distinction.

UVU has more than 200 courses incorporating service learning into the curriculum. Through UVU’s Volunteer & Service-Learning Center more than 11,000 participants put in more than 100,000 volunteer hours in 2011 — an estimated value of more than $2 million to the community.

For example, students in organizational development provided consulting services to a non-profit organization. Digital media students completed projects that assist people with disabilities. Exercise science students promoted fitness to people traditionally underserved in areas of health education.

UVU’s Service Council also coordinated 180 service events and projects, including providing learning enrichment activities for children with autism, tutoring and mentoring at-risk youth, providing respite care for children with severe disabilities, and creating awareness about poverty, hunger and homelessness.

“These are just a few examples of how UVU’s students, faculty and staff are engaged in the community through service. We often times focus on the ways students serve, but we have many faculty and staff who are civically engaged in our communities as well,” Palmer said.

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About UVU

Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah, and is home to more than 33,000 students. UVU began as a vocational school during World War II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community college, state college and, finally, a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU is one of Utah’s largest institutions of higher learning and offers programs ranging from career training to high-demand master degrees, with emphasis on undergraduate education.