Iowa’s Loras College Honored for Community Service Efforts

Institution receives the Presidential Award for interfaith service

WASHINGTON, DC – The Corporation for National and Community Service yesterday honored Loras College with the President’s Award for Interfaith Community Service. This nationwide designation is part of the 2014 Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, and recognizes the institution and its students for their commitment to volunteer service.  

The announcement was made at the fourth annual President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge National Gathering.  CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Melissa Rodgers, Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, were on hand to present the award to Loras College President Jim Collins.

“Service and higher education go hand in hand,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Loras College is inspiring young leaders to roll up their sleeves and work alongside community members to solve problems. By recognizing the institutions who are leading the way to achieve meaningful, measurable results for the communities they serve, we also highlight the vital role all colleges and universities play in addressing community challenges and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement.”

Loras College, a Catholic higher education institution, was selected because of its strong institutional commitment to service. Through extensive community partnerships, the school commits more that 15% of their total federal Work Study allocation to placing students in the Dubuque community. The students have worked to better the lives of citizens living in poverty, by finding them permanent housing and regular income. 

“Loras College is so proud of this distinguished national recognition,” said Loras College President Jim Collins.  “Our mission is as or more alive today than it was 176 years ago. We use our Catholic foundation to instill human dignity into our work which inspires our obligation to be of service to others. In so doing, we work to find commonality with all our brothers and sisters to foster relationships which advance the Common Good. I am beyond grateful to our students, staff and faculty for honoring our mission. They are so committed to building Interfaith relationships and being of service to others.”

Numerous elected officials from Iowa praised Loras’s leadership in civic engagement and community service.

“For many people, including myself, their faith inspires them to serve others in ways that are deeply meaningful to them and strengthen communities in profound ways,” said Senator Tom Harkin. “I congratulate Loras College on this great achievement and for participating in a program that has helped to improve the lives of countless Iowans.”

“Loras College has a strong tradition of service and community engagement and I’m pleased the Corporation for National and Community Service is recognizing the school with this award,” Rep. Bruce Braley said. “Loras has made positive contributions to the community and country for generations, and I know that tradition will continue in the future.”

The 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community challenges and as a result, more students are likely to pursue a lifelong path of civic engagement that achieves meaningful and measurable outcomes in the communities they serve. Each year, four schools are selected to receive the President’s Award in one of four categories -- general community service, economic opportunity, education, and interfaith community service. This is the highest federal honor a higher education institution can receive for its commitment to community service.

This year, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships joined the Honor Roll team as a program partner.  The two agencies incorporated the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge program into the Honor Roll.  Institutions who apply to the interfaith category must demonstrate participation of campus and community faith-based organizations, including cooperation of faculty, staff, and students of diverse faiths and secular perspectives in projects that tackle community challenges

James E. Collins receives the President’s Award for Interfaith Community Service. Pictured left to right, Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell, Director, U.S. Department of Education Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; James E. Collins, President, Loras College; Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education; Wendy Spencer, CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service; Maggie Baker, Service-Learning Coordinator, Loras College; Melissa Rogers, Executive Director, White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.