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Contact: Jennifer Hill, (614) 823-1605 or jhill@otterbein.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2008

News

OTTERBEIN COLLEGE RECEIVES PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR SERVICE
School Honored for Distinguished Community Service

San Diego, CA — The Corporation for National and Community Service honored Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, today at the American Council on Education (ACE) annual conference with a place on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts. Otterbein College was one of only three colleges and universities nationwide to receive the Presidential Award for General Community Service.

"Otterbein students have a long history of giving back to the community. It is a high honor to have this service validated by the president," said C. Brent DeVore, president of Otterbein College. "It is an award we share with our community. The local schools and non-profits are true partners in our efforts to strengthen our cities."

Launched in 2006, the Honor Roll's Presidential Award is the highest recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness 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.

Otterbein College's notable community service achievements include that 70 percent of students engaged in community service activities in 2006 and 2007, with just over 50 percent giving time to efforts that served disadvantaged youth.

In one project, Otterbein students used AmeriCorps Education Award program students to coordinate a gardening program that matched college students with at-risk youth housed at a transitional residence. In another example, Otterbein's CardinalCorps service project had more than 350 students volunteer to serve as site supervisors at local schools and non-profits each week.

 Otterbein students are a sterling example of today's college students, who are tackling the toughest problems in America, demonstrating their compassion, commitment, and creativity by serving as mentors, tutors, health workers, and even engineers," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation, who presented the award. "They represent a renewed spirit of civic engagement fostered by outstanding leadership on caring campuses."

In congratulating the winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, "Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce. We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country."

In addition to Otterbein College, the Presidential Award for General Community Service went to the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Pennsylvania. The Presidential Award for Service to Youth from Disadvantaged Circumstances was given to Chaminade University of Honolulu, Syracuse University and the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif.

The Honor Roll also recognized four schools as Special Achievement Award winners, 127 as Honor Roll With Distinction members and 391 schools as Honor Roll members. In total, 528 schools were recognized. A full list is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.

ACE CEO David Ward noted how impressed he was with the commitment of all the award winners. "There is no question that the universities and colleges who have made an effort to participate and win the Honor Roll award are themselves being rewarded today," said Ward. "Earning this distinction is not easy. But now each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor."

Otterbein College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts college founded in 1847 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Located in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Otterbein enrolls over 3,000 students, including traditional undergraduate and adult students in the Continuing Studies and Graduate Studies programs. Otterbein offers 56 majors, as well as individualized fields of study. Master's degree programs are offered in education, nursing and business administration. Accredited since 1913 by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Otterbein has consistently placed high among peer institutions in U.S. News and World Report's "Guide to America’s Best Colleges" for over a decade. Otterbein is currently ranked 15th among its 140 peers in the University-Master's (Midwest) category. Otterbein College can be found online at www.otterbein.edu.

The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations. For more information, go to www.nationalservice.gov.

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