PORTSMOUTH — The Corporation for National and Community Service honored Shawnee State University today with a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to America’s communities.

“The community is such a big part of Shawnee State University, and our past and future success,” SSU President Rita Rice Morris said. “That’s why community service is so important to us. To be recognized nationally for the efforts of our students, faculty and staff in making a difference in our community means a lot to us and makes us especially proud.”

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 innovation 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.

Shawnee State students, faculty and staff have participated in numerous service projects including food and clothing drives for local homeless shelters, working on Habitat for Humanity houses, alternative school break projects where students travel to help clean a forest or build houses, and donating many hours of their time with various service organizations in the community.