University Recognized on President's Community Service Honor Roll

by University Relations

For the fifth year, Azusa Pacific University earned inclusion on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, making APU one of only four schools in California to have received this national award five times. The highest federal recognition of university service efforts, this honor distinguishes APU as a leader in civic engagement and service-learning, demonstrating the university’s commitment to building community partnerships, strengthening neighborhoods, and fulfilling a mission of serving as a Christian university.

“For more than 100 years, APU’s God First motto has inspired our students and faculty to advance God’s purposes in the world, to serve His Kingdom with all our talents and gifts,” said Provost Mark Stanton, Ph.D. “This achievement confirms we’re doing just that—modeling service in a relevant way that speaks directly to the needs of our neighbors, near and far.

” APU undergraduate students perform more than 165,000 hours of service each year in local areas, communities across the nation, and service sites around the world. Azusa Reads, Azusa Writes, Azusa Counts, and Azusa Calculates, which offer free one-on-one tutoring in reading, writing, and mathematics to nearly 300 elementary and middle school students annually, are just a few of the many successful local programs APU sponsors. The C.H.A.M.P. (College Headed and Mighty Proud) program introduces the idea of college to more than 600 at-risk fourth graders from six local elementary schools each year. The Neighborhood Wellness Center, staffed by APU nursing students and faculty, provides free health care and education to more than 2,000 local community residents yearly.

Furthermore, APU’s Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research facilitates community programs and courses that build relationships between APU and the local communities. Students integrate classroom learning with real-world service through more than 145 available service-learning classes across 18 academic departments. Students also serve the global community through mission teams commissioned by the Center for Student Action, a community engagement course in the South Africa study abroad program, and the Mexico Outreach program that sponsors short-term mission trips to Mexico throughout the year. “The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community problems by recognizing institutions that achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes in the communities they serve,” said President Jon R. Wallace, DBA.

“This honor affirms our vision to be difference makers in a hurting world. Whether in the nearby neighborhoods of Azusa or in remote areas of the world, God calls us as disciples and scholars to turn the privilege of our knowledge and resources into action and application for others. I am proud of our students and faculty for responding to that call upon their lives with joyful obedience.”

Originally published in the Summer '13 issue of APU Life. Download the PDF or view all issues.