February 23, 2009 (Vol. 9, No. 3)

Lehman Named to President's Honor Roll for Community Service

l.-r. Student Willa Ivory with Amanda Dubois, coordinator of Community Service/ Service Learning and New Student Orientation program, and students Lianee and Olga Torres, Maladu Bah, and Shomari Brown volunteered at a clean-up project at the Gansevoort Peninsula over the summer.

Lehman College has 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 highest Federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.

The program is run by the Corporation for National and Community Service in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. Altogether, 635 colleges and universities were named to the 2008 Honor Roll.

"We are proud that our students are committed to serving their community, as well as communities far from the Bronx," said Lehman President Ricardo R. Fernández. "They continue to exemplify the legacy of Herbert H. Lehman, the great humanitarian and statesman for whom this institution is named."

Lehman students are active in a wide variety of community service projects that help them develop in their roles as responsible citizens. They work closely with organizations such as Part of the Solution, a local soup kitchen, and Abbott House, a center for abused children and their families. They also regularly organize food, clothing, and supply drives that benefit the American Cancer Society, troops serving abroad, and Covenant House.

Beyond the Bronx, students involved with Lehman L.I.F.E. (Leaders Involved for Everyone) travel to locations in the U.S. such as New Orleans and Virginia and abroad to Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Kenya to work with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Break Away, the U.S. Parks Department, and the Greenbelt Movement.

"Our program has grown exponentially in just two years," said Amanda Dubois, coordinator of Lehman's Community Service/Service-Learning and New Student Programs. "We began with one trip a year and are now up to three major destinations per academic year."

Schools are selected for the Honor Roll each year based on the scope and innovation of service projects; percentage of student participation in service activities; incentives for service; and the extent to which the academic institution offers service-learning courses. These courses are available to Lehman students in African and African-American Studies, English, Middle and High School Education, Journalism, Communication and Theatre, and other programs.

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