Springfield College Named to Honor Roll of ‘Best Neighbor’ Colleges and Universities
October 22, 2009SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Oct. 22, 2009 – Springfield College has been named to the honor roll of “best neighbor colleges and universities” in the United States in a new report by Evan S. Dobelle, president of Westfield State College, delivered at the 15th annual conference of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities on Oct. 12, 2009.
The report marks the second time that Dobelle has cited Springfield College. In his initial report in 2006, he included Springfield College in the listing: “Saviors of Our Cities: A Survey of Best College and University Civic Partnerships.”
The new report cites academic institutions that have shown long-standing cooperation with community leaders to rehabilitate the cities around them; influence community revitalization and cultural renewal; and encourage economic expansion of the local economy, urban development and community service.
Responding to the announcement, Springfield College President Richard B. Flynn said, “It is an honor to be recognized again for our actions to help make our community a better place in which to live, work and learn. Service to other people has been our core value for 125 years. We believe that by utilizing the talents of our students, faculty and staff in learning experiences that address community needs; by leveraging our resources; and by working in partnership with other stakeholders in our community, we can cooperatively improve our city.”
Springfield College has, for more than a decade, played a leadership role in revitalization efforts for the neighborhoods surrounding its campus, working collaboratively with local organizations, the city and area residents.
The college’s students perform more than 133,000 hours of community service annually, and many of the college’s academic courses involve learning through service. The college also conducts on-campus educational and leadership development programs that have served thousands of local children.
In the Springfield College AmeriCorps Program alone, 85 students serve at more than 39 schools, hospitals, community centers and community organizations. They perform academic coaching, health and in-school counseling and case management, youth leadership development and volunteer recruitment.
During the past year, Springfield College was also named to the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, and earned the community engagement classification of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
