West Virginia University at Parkersburg was recently 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.
WVU Parkersburg received this award for the various projects and service efforts put forth by students, faculty and staff. Some examples of these efforts include:
- The Expanded Horizons event organized by the college’s Kappa Delta Pi education honor society in partnership with the Parkersburg Boys and Girls Club. Activities and mentoring discussions focused on the skills and decision making needed to be a successful adult.
- The Clothesline Project coordinated by the criminal justice program. Women and children affected by violence express their emotions by decorating a shirt and hanging it on a clothesline to be viewed by the community as a testimony to the problem of violence against women.
- The Riverhawk Farmers’ Market developed by the college’s Health and Wellness Club in an effort to increase healthy food access for the campus community. Through a partnership with Rural Action’s Sustainable Agriculture program, the club began offering local fresh produce and organic products on campus twice a week.
“We were thrilled to receive this distinction. Public service and civic engagement is at the heart of our mission as a public college,” said WVU Parkersburg president Dr. Marie Foster Gnage. “Given that so many of our students have jobs, families or other commitments, we are always impressed by the great job they do in serving our region.”
Gnage serves on the Board of Directors for Campus Compact, a national coalition of nearly 1,200 college and university presidents who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. She also serves on the advisory committee for West Virginia Campus Compact.
More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll award recipients can be found at nationalservice.gov.
