President Obama and the Corporation for National & Community Service awarded Bellarmine University the highest federal recognition a college or university can earn for its dedication to volunteering, civic engagement and community service -- a place in the Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for activities taking place in 2014.

The Corporation for National & Community Service, working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education, Campus Compact, and the Interfaith Youth Core, bestows the honor roll award upon colleges and universities each year.

Bellarmine’s commitment to service has been recognized by the Corporation for National & Community Service for four years. This year's recognition for Bellarmine was in the general community service category; other honor roll categories include interfaith community service, economic opportunity and education community service.

Bellarmine averages 24,000 hours of service work each year, including service abroad in places such as Belize and Guatemala, and spring break service trips to places such as Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia. Bellarmine also offers more than 50 service learning courses designed to give students the opportunity to connect to the local community through service and reflection. These activities are consistent with the university's mission to help "students develop the intellectual, moral, ethical and professional competencies for successful living, work, leadership and service to others."

The Corporation for National & Community Service is a federal agency that helps more than five million Americans improve the lives of their fellow citizens through service. This includes investing in thousands of nonprofit and faith-based groups, as well as work through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund and the Volunteer Generation Fund.