University Times

Pitt-Johnstown has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the second consecutive year.

The honor roll, administered through the Corporation for National and Community Service, is the highest federal recognition that a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. More than 600 schools and campuses were honored.

During the 2009-10 academic year, the period for which the campus is being recognized, Pitt-Johnstown students, faculty and staff performed more than 12,300 hours of service, impacting the lives of some 5,000 individuals. Among the major service projects on the campus were:

• Pitt-Johnstown @ Your Service, where UPJ faculty, staff and students support community organizations with time, talent and expertise to address areas of importance to Pitt-Johnstown and the community, including health promotion, veteran outreach and education.

• The Pitt-Johnstown RealWorld Action program, the centerpiece of cocurricular and student development initiatives, which offers students the opportunity to develop customized personal and professional development plans to become agents of positive change in communities. Overall, 560 Pitt-Johnstown students, 18.5 percent of the student body, were engaged in service-oriented work as part of the program. Projects included serving meals, providing staffing assistance at community events, tutoring K-12 students, participating in community cleanup programs and promoting conservation.

• Pitt-Johnstown Habitat for Humanity alternative spring break, where last year 111 faculty, staff and students traveled to Florida and Georgia and spent more than 4,400 hours constructing four homes.