Linfield College was named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in recognition of outstanding leadership in civic engagement and service learning during the 2010-2011 school year.
More than 900 students volunteered more than 50,000 hours in the community, reflecting both an institutional commitment to community engagement and a shared mission of compassionate outreach among Linfield students. Their efforts focus primarily on sustainability, outreach to those who are homeless or hungry, and mentorship of disadvantaged youth.
Students partner on Yamhill County’s 10-Year Ending Homelessness Plan, and many spent their spring break last year learning about housing as a human right and building homes with Habitat for Humanity. They also collaborate with the McMinnville School District and other community partners to provide mentoring, tutoring and after school programming for youth. To address poverty, students serve at the soup kitchen and in transitional housing shelters.
Linfield is ranked 21st in the nation for participation in study abroad programs, and students also participate in humanitarian projects within both the regional and global community.
“Community engagement is a cornerstone of a Linfield College education,” said Jessica Wade, director of Community Engagement and Service at Linfield. “Students take the concepts they learn in the classroom into the local and global community, where service learning allows them to gain a deeper understanding of critical social issues while helping meet community needs.”
This is the fourth consecutive year Linfield College has been recognized by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The college was also honored last year by Washington Monthly, which named Linfield one of the top 100 liberal arts schools that make a vital contribution to society. In February, Linfield was recognized for sustainability initiatives and featured on the homepage and in the national newsletter of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
