St. Edward’s Recognized for Commitment to Service Learning

St. Edward’s University has been selected by The Princeton Review and Campus Compact for inclusion in a new college guide, “Colleges with a Conscience: An Engaged Student’s Guide to College.” Highlighting socially responsible colleges and universities, the book is designed to help high school students incorporate service and involvement opportunities into their college selection process and to showcase campuses that have made an institutional commitment to engagement in their communities. The guide is expected to hit bookshelves late next year.

“While we always enjoy acknowledgement of the quality of our programs and the success of our students, it is especially gratifying to be recognized for the difference our students make in the lives of others,” said George E. Martin, president of St. Edward’s University and chair of the Texas Campus Compact. “The university mission, which is built upon our Holy Cross heritage and Catholic tradition, calls for students to explore the world around them and to confront the critical issues of society.”

St. Edward’s is one of only 81 institutions to make the final edition and will be profiled in a two-page spread. Initially, a total of 100 Campus Compact member institutions from across the country were considered for inclusion in the book which focuses on socially responsible colleges and universities. Schools were nominated based on five specific areas: 1) schools with engaged student bodies, 2) the institutions which support activism, 3) scholarships and admissions practices supportive of students who do community service, 4) schools that support service learning, and 5) schools with strong student voice in governance.

Campus Compact is a coalition of more than 900 college and university presidents committed to the civic purposes of higher education. To support its civic mission, Campus Compact promotes community service that develops students’ citizenship skills and values, encourages partnerships between campuses and communities, and assists faculty who seek to integrate public and community engagement into their teaching and research. For more information visit: Campus Compact (www.compact.org/) or Texas Campus Compact (www.texascampuscompact.org/).

Founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross, St. Edward’s University has been named as one of America’s Best Colleges for 2004 by U.S. News & World Report. St. Edward’s is a private Catholic, liberal arts university of approximately 4,450 students located in Austin, Texas.

# # #