Ohio Northern University has been named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.
Daniel A. DiBiasio, ONU president, said, “Assisting the community has always been a tradition and part of our mission at ONU, and the University takes great pride in serving the village of Ada and beyond. We want our students to understand that responsible citizenship and service to one’s community are critical.”
Since Ohio Northern was established, the University has worked with Ada through numerous community programs such as aiding with community health fairs, free income tax preparation, Artists Against Hunger, heartburn-awareness events, Habitat For Humanity, Relay For Life, and free music and art lessons. ONU students participate in highway clean-ups, provide tutoring to school children, support senior citizens centers and organize community events on campus. ONU has recently introduced new programs, such as “Get Connected ONU” and the Ada Civic Engagement Day, in which students volunteer to help with projects to improve the community.
ONU’s campus is home to more than 200 student groups, most of which have some sort of public service component. More than 1,500 ONU students have engaged in some form of community service and have logged in more than 52,000 volunteer and service hours.
The Honor Roll includes more than 700 schools named as Honor Roll members. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the 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.
The Corporation for National and Community Service has administered the award since 2006 in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education, Campus Compact, and the Interfaith Youth Core.
