Wofford named to President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction

College recognized for interfaith community service

The Rev. Dr. Ron Robinson, the college's Perkins-Prothro Chaplain, works with first-year students to pack more than 20,000 meals to be shipped to Haiti as part of orientation this fall.

2016-10-05

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. The honors ceremony was held recently in Washington, D.C., with Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. as the featured speaker.

Wofford, who was represented by Perkins-Prothro Chaplain and professor of religion the Rev. Dr. Ron Robinson, was recognized in all four categories of the Honor Roll: General Community Service, Interfaith Community Service, Economic Opportunity and Education. The recognitions highlighted various programs, including the college’s interfaith initiatives, academic community engagement, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, Bonner Scholars program, partnerships with community members in the Arcadia and Northside communities, and the High Impact Curriculum Fellows program.

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes colleges and universities that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships.

The Honor Roll’s Presidential Award is the highest federal recognition an institution can receive for its commitment to community, service-learning and civic engagement.

The President’s Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions in four categories:

• General Community Service
• Interfaith Community Service
• Economic Opportunity
• Education

Robinson, who also is Wofford’s director of interfaith programs, accepted the college’s award and participated on a panel at the conference, presenting on “Pluralism in a Liberal Arts Community.”

Robinson, known to students as Rev. Ron, says, “This distinction for interfaith service speaks well of the kind of diverse, outwardly focused community we have here at Wofford. It is a delight to see people from a variety of backgrounds come together for a common purpose, and it is heartwarming when that purpose is reaching out to understand someone else’s situation and enable them to meet a need.”

The U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Challenge Biennial Report noted Wofford’s program in which first-year students pack more than 20,000 meals for Haiti on their first weekend at the college. The same report made three mentions of the college’s Interfaith Youth Core and its partnerships with local faith-based and service organizations to address hunger and homelessness in Spartanburg."