Simmons College Receives President's National Community Service Honor for a 5th Year

BOSTON, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the fifth consecutive year, Simmons College was named to the 2010 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

Simmons College is the only college in Massachusetts to have received the "Honor Roll With Distinction" designation four times since the honor roll began in 2006. The "Honor Roll With Distinction" designation is given to schools that have exhibited significant community service. A total of 511 colleges were chosen for the 2010 Community Service Honor Roll — only 114 colleges received the designation "Honor Roll with Distinction."

"We're proud to be recognized nationally for some of the most important work that we do here at Simmons with our neighborhood and community partners," said Simmons College President Helen Drinan. "This award speaks directly to Simmons's history of and commitment to community service."

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year, the Simmons College Scott/Ross Center (S/RC) for Community Service engaged 2,687 undergraduate and graduate students in 53,700 hours of community service activities in 2010. Created in 2000, through a gift from Simmons College Trustee and alumna Emily Scott Pottruck, in recognition of the college's long-time commitment to community service, the center serves the Greater Boston community by developing reciprocal partnerships with community organizations while enriching and expanding students' educational and co-curricular experiences. Among the programs the S/RC engaged with last year were the Women's Lunch Place, a women's day shelter that provides breakfast and lunch as well as other services, and the Boston Teacher's Union School, the city's first public school managed by the teachers union.

"Students have told me that the Scott/Ross Center has changed their lives," said Scott Pottruck. "Their perceptions have been altered, their minds have been opened, they have a sense of purpose, and think beyond themselves."

CNCS oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school's commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service. For a full list of recipients and descriptions of their service, visit www.NationalService.gov/HonorRoll.

Simmons College (http://www.simmons.edu) is a nationally recognized private university located in the heart of Boston. It offers undergraduate education for women, and renowned coeducational graduate programs in health sciences, education, liberal arts, social work, library and information science, and communications management, as well as the nation's first MBA program designed specifically for women. Follow Simmons on Twitter @SimmonsCollege and @SimmonsNews.

SOURCE Simmons College