Auburn University receives federal honor for outreach and community engagement

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For the fourth consecutive year, Auburn University has been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, a recognition of the nation's leading colleges and universities for their dedication to civic engagement, service-learning and outreach.

This is the highest federal recognition an institution of higher education can receive for its service work in the community. The Honor Roll is administered by a federal agency, the Corporation for National and Community Service, or CNCS, on behalf of the President of the United States.

Auburn is one of five universities from the state of Alabama to be named to the Honor Roll in general, and one of only two to have received the Honor Roll with Distinction designation.

"Being named to the honor roll with distinction is so significant because of the scope of the award," said Ralph Foster, director of Public Service. The Office of Public Service coordinates Auburn's annual application for the honor roll designation.

The CNCS considers the scope and volume of activity of the university's overall outreach program; the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum; the school's commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships; innovation and responsiveness to community issues; and success in achieving measurable community outcomes as a result of the engagement.

"Recognition on the President's Honor Roll shows that Auburn is among the leading institutions nationally for public service, outreach, and curricular engagement," said Royrickers Cook, assistant vice president of University Outreach.  "It's a strong affirmation of our land-grant mission of outreach and its relevance to the State of Alabama in improving the quality of life in our communities."

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Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.