California State University, Fresno is among 12 California State University campuses to receive national awards from the Corporation for National and Community Service for extraordinary service to their communities.

Fresno State earned the Presidents Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for General Community Service.

During the 2005-06 academic year, more than 6,300 Fresno State students participated in organized community service-learning. They logged 485,300 hours that provided an economic benefit to the community estimated at more than $10.4 million.

“These figures confirm what I know from my contacts with Fresno State students: they are passionate and energetic about addressing needs they see in our community,” said President John D. Welty.

“Our students want to be part of the solutions, and as they volunteer they also are learning how to work with others to make a difference,” Welty said.

CSU Monterey Bay received one of the top six honors – the President’s Higher Education Community Service Award for General Community Service. The honor carries with it a $5,000 award.

Nearly 200,000 CSU students – half of the system’s student body – give back to their communities in significant ways. In 2005-06, CSU students provided 30 million hours of service, which equals a minimum wage value of $200 million. That is $200 million worth of skills invested in non-profits, businesses, cities and the state by CSU students. Since 1999, more than 1 million CSU students have been involved in community service-learning.

“The California State University's has made a commitment to service learning and community engagement because we recognize that it fosters an ethic of service that will last for a lifetime,” said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed.

The Presidents Honor Roll is co-sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The recognition is presented in cooperation with Campus Compact, a national coalition of nearly 1,000 college and university presidents, and supported by all the major national higher education associations. More than 500 colleges applied for the Honor Roll in its inaugural year.

The awards were presented a day after the Corporation for National and Community Service released a comprehensive report, “College Students Helping America,” which shows college student civic engagement rising significantly in recent years. The study, which used data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed that student volunteering increased approximately 20 percent from 2002 to 2005, and that 3.3 million college students serve their communities and nation.

For more information on Fresno State’s program, contact Chris Fiorentino, director of Civic Engagement and Service- Learning, at 559.278.7079. For information on CSU programs contact Colleen Bentley, 562.951.4801 or Season Eckardt, 562.951.4787.