La Sierra University garnered national acclaim recently for its local and international service activities, outreach efforts that are a manifestation of its global mission to serve.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal volunteer service organization, announced Feb. 11 La Sierra's inclusion on the Honor Roll with Distinction for the 2007 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. It is the second annual awards event for the national program recognizing colleges and universities for innovative and effective service to others.

The Honor Roll acknowledges institutions around the country for their service work during the 2006-2007 school year. The ‘Honor Roll with Distinction' recognizes top tier schools based on 14 selection factors, including percentages of students engaged in community work and in academic service-learning, a heavy component of the award program.

The Corporation for National and Community Service oversees Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America volunteer programs. The Honor Roll is sponsored by the corporation; the U.S. Department of Education; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; USA Freedom Corps; Campus Compact; and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

La Sierra's Office of Service-Learning submitted the application for the Honor Roll award. "This is a recognition of the commitment that students, faculty and the university have made, and it can only happen through the wonderful partnerships that the university has established with the community," said Adeny Schmidt, service-learning director and a psychology professor.

LSU has pursued its humanitarian objectives with national and international missions work, economic empowerment projects through Students In Free Enterprise and community volunteerism. Its broad, academic service-learning program integrates community service with course curriculum.

La Sierra's students carried out an estimated 44,478 total hours of service work to benefit others during the 2006-07 academic year.

An estimated 790 La Sierra students participated in academic service-learning courses, providing about 10,000 hours of assistance to various organizations. Approximately 156 additional students performed other sorts of outreach work.

Service projects last year ranged from financial management programs for seniors, business startup help for low-income individuals, homework help for at-risk children to senior exercise programs.

Additionally, 55 La Sierra students worked 1,925 hours on Hurricane Katrina relief, gutting low-income apartments and homes in Waveland, Miss., and New Orleans among other tasks. Their work carried a value of more than $25,000. Other students built homes in Tecate, Mexico, and a worship center in Kenya.

Academic service-learning marries service at community organizations and some mission trips with psychology, anatomy, religion, biology and other classes.

Faculty members choose courses and determine appropriate types of service that could build on the learning experience. Students journal their observations and experiences, create presentations, write papers and perform other assignments.

The service-learning office helps faculty develop courses, connects them with appropriate organizations, handles student paperwork and offers transportation to service sites.

In one instance, students in gross human anatomy provided assistance at the Inland Empire Adult Day Health Care Center in Corona. While helping seniors exercise, they observed their motions, noting muscular and skeletal changes that prevent movement.

All La Sierra freshmen and transferring sophomores are required to complete three academic service-learning courses before graduation. Transferring juniors must complete two courses and incoming seniors must finish one community service course.

La Sierra established the Office of Service-Learning in 2003. That school year, just 12 faculty linked nine academic courses and 11 course sections with four community partners and seven sites.

By the 2006-07 school year, the program ramped up to 33 faculty offering 32 courses and 48 course sections involving service for 32 community partners and 51 sites.

"One-third of the faculty are teaching service-learning. That is huge," Schmidt said. "Real learning and change happens [in service-learning courses] because students have to think about it."