NCC Named to Presidential Honor Roll for Community Service

March 11, 2010

Northampton Community College (NCC) is one of three community colleges in Pennsylvania that have been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to America's communities.  This is the fourth consecutive year that NCC has received this honor.

"Community engagement ranks right up with academic excellence and access to education as an institutional priority at Northampton," says Deb Bohr.  Bohr coordinates the College's service learning program which integrates service to the community into many academic courses.  Student clubs and organizations are also encouraged to get involved in service projects. 

Among the many initiatives NCC was recognized for were the volunteer work that social work majors did - and continue to do - in New Orleans ninth ward over spring break, the assistance that biology and sociology students provided in planting and harvesting crops at the Cherry Valley Community Supported Agriculture Project in Monroe County, and student involvement as poll workers and assistants during past elections.

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 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.

Other local colleges and universities named to the honor roll are Cedar Crest, Lehigh, Moravian and Muhlenberg.