CHICAGO – The Corporation for National and Community Service named The Chicago School of Professional Psychology to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth.  

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. 

“We believe at The Chicago School that higher education and a higher purpose work hand in hand,” said Chicago School President Michael Horowitz. “This recognition is a testament to the remarkable collaboration between our students, faculty, and staff to create a learning community committed to helping those in need.”  

The Chicago School earned the distinction in part for its efforts to help local agencies build greater capacity to serve more people. Through their internship and practicum experiences, Chicago School students perform more than 500,000 hours of pro bono community service each year. An additional 12,860 hours of service was added in 2006–2007 thanks to the efforts of the school’s Office of Community Partnerships, which developed and connected students to a host of new community service, service learning, and community-based research projects.  

Examples of the work students are doing can be found throughout Chicago. One project alone saw 22 students completing more than 3,000 hours of work at Lawrence Hall Youth Services, one of the oldest child welfare agencies in Illinois. The students conducted a needs analysis through focus groups, individual interviews, and client surveys to help Lawrence Hall develop a new model for residential care. Erie Neighborhood House is another example. Through Erie’s TEAM program, students from Chicago School and area high schools partnered together to provide youth tutoring and mentoring.

“Over the past several years, the school has increasingly leveraged its intellectual and human resource capital to move beyond helping individuals and families,” said Dr. Deane Rabe, associate vice president of engagement and student affairs. “Today, our community work is focused on strategically building the capacity of our human service and business partners and creating lasting changes in the community at large. Unlike traditional community and service learning programs, our team-based approach comprised of faculty and students focuses exclusively on efforts that will deliver innovative and enduring solutions to some of our most pressing social problems.” 

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, USA Freedom Corps, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. 

In congratulating the winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, “Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce. We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country.” 

“There is no question that the universities and colleges who have made an effort to participate and win the Honor Roll award are themselves being rewarded,” said American Council on Education President David Ward. “Earning this distinction is not easy. But now each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor.” 

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, USA Freedom Corps, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. 

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

Media Contact: Matt Nehmer
312.329.6672 mnehmer@thechicagoschool.edu