Honors and Awards

HSU Receives National Community Service Presidential Award

Humboldt State University has been named again to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, With Distinction for exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth. More than 500 colleges applied for the President's Honor Roll in its inaugural year, and Humboldt State was one of 127 as Honor Roll With Distinction.

The President's 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 over 1,000 college and university presidents, and supported by all the major national higher education associations.

Key factors in HSU's selection to the Presidential Honor Roll include the work done with the Youth to College Initiative, also know as Y2C. Humboldt State is one of only 2 campuses in the CSU to be doing such a program. The goal is to increase college readiness among youth from disadvantaged situations, with a total of 3,000 served per campus. Major program efforts include regional mentoring and support for higher educational institutions, community-campus collaborations, such as tutoring and mentoring with local community partners.

HSU's selection to the President's Honor Roll also reflects the high level of student engagement in the local community, fostered by service learning courses that link scholarship and service. Important campus partners include Educational Talent Search, and Student Academic Services Outreach Program (SASOP). Additional avenues for this high level of community engagement include 12 different student-run community service programs through Youth Educational Services (Y.E.S.), as well as volunteer activities supported in the residence halls at HSU. Local community partners include YouthServe AmeriCorps, Academy of the Redwoods, Manila Community Center, and Eureka City Schools.

Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

The Honor Roll is jointly sponsored by the Corporation, through its Learn and Serve America program, and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, California Campus Compact, USA Freedom Corps, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.

Humboldt State was also honored last year to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, With Distinction for the work done to assist in Hurricane Katrina relief. Books Building Bridges, the HSU club formed in the wake of Katrina, solicited the donation of 500 pounds of books and delivered them over the 2005-2006 winter break to a Mississippi elementary school. While there, HSU students joined AmeriCorps members clearing debris in the town of Pass Christian. In addition, the club sent members in May 2006 to New Orleans to work with the national non-profit organization ACORN in their house-gutting program.

2007 Nomination for Beyond the Books

Humboldt State University was selected for inclusion in Beyond the Books, a Guide to Service-Learning Colleges & Universities because of the demonstrated track record of integrating community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. These programs are achieved through a deliberate and planned approach in order to fulfill the standards of service learning. Selected institutions are included because they have strong service learning programs, based upon clear delineations and criteria. The guide will serve as an informational resource to assist parents and students with decisions during the college application process and secondary school counselors in their recommendations of schools. It will also educate high school counselors and administrators of America's community-based organizations.

Institutions are selected upon review by a National Advisory Board, and Humboldt was selected because of the integration of community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities while using a deliberate and planned approach in order to fulfill the standards of service-learning.

Beyond the Books is committed to promoting experiential learning programs and colleges and universities that excel in providing experiential learning opportunities. Beyond the Books' mission is to fill the need for a comprehensive database of information about the plethora of experiential learning opportunities, making it easier for interested students to find programs that fill their individual interests. Beyond the Books is on the web at www.beyondthebooks.org.

HSU Spotlighted as "College with a Conscience"

Humboldt State University is named a "Best Western College" and a "College With A Conscience" in the Princeton Review’s recently released 2009 Best Colleges: Region by Region.

Humboldt State is among 117 universities to receive a "Best in the West" designation. The review quotes students describing HSU as a "great place to go to school," and "a place to be yourself and to learn all about what you want to do in life." Students also described a focus on "responsibility to nature and the environment."

In including Humboldt State as one of 81 "Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement," the review noted "Social responsibility is a current that runs through the coursework at HSU." A student is quoted as saying that "one overarching lesson HSU graduates bring to the world at large is a strong commitment to social justice no matter the discipline they choose to study."

The review says "Students rave about the 'personal connections' with 'dedicated professors' who are 'easy to get a hold of.'" Other students commented that HSU fosters "the skills for lifelong learning, community and political awareness," and said that the student body "prides itself on community respect and social diversity." HSU, students said, is "all about equality in diversity" and is a "tight community."

In developing its rankings, the Princeton Review compiles student opinion on issues from accessibility of their professors to the quality of campus food, and incorporates institutional data compiled by the organization.

SLEE In Action

The following video shows how HSU Service Learning is empowering the community and transforming education.

Humboldt students and faculty use their skills to design interactive exhibits for children at the Discovery Museum, and help youth build their academic and social skills in the Cutten School District.

Students and faculty across all CSU campuses give back to their communities in varied ways. The Community Service Learning In The CSU page has more examples of some of the amazing talent at the 23 campuses.