Fresno State received recognition for its community service efforts when it was named to President Barack Obama’s 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The University was recognized with distinction in the general community service category and for education service efforts.

Since 2006, the Corporation for National and Community Service has presented the honor roll to recognize colleges and universities for tackling community problems and implementing long-term civic engagement in its student population.

Fresno State has been included in the honor roll every year since it was established. In 2008 Fresno State won the Presidential Award and was a finalist for that honor in 2010.

Last year, over 14,000 students, faculty and staff provided more than 1 million hours of service. It was the fifth consecutive year that Fresno State’s annual volunteer hours topped 1 million.

“Community service empowers students and helps them see that applying their knowledge, personal skills and time to helping others provides great benefits for them and for those they serve,” said Chris Fiorentino, director of the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning.

Among the many service projects undertaken by the campus are support for Central California Blood CenterMediator MentorsReading and BeyondJumpstartCalState TEACHBulldog Pantry and Alternative Spring Break.

The University was also recognized on the educational front, including involvement in the CSU’s Math and Science Teacher Initiative. Fresno State’s Physics Outreach program provided science enrichment services through visits to 57 schools in 14 districts.

Fresno State students provided hands-on opportunities for K-12 students to explore science principles by lying on a bed of nails, spinning like an Olympian figure skater or creating ice cream using liquid nitrogen.

For more information, contact Chris Fiorentino at 559.278.7079.

(University Communications news assistant Jodi Raley contributed to this report.)

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