History Of The Program
An initiative of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation
- President's Volunteer Service Awards
- History Of The Program
- Getting Started
In April 2006, UT System Chancellor Mark Yudof was appointed to serve on the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The purpose of the Council was to recognize the important contributions Americans were making through service and civic engagement. In 2007, The University of Texas at Dallas charged the Office of Public Affairs with the initiative of promoting civic participation among faculty, staff and students.
In 2008, Dr. Daniel honored 21 UT Dallas students, faculty and staff members for contributing more than 4,600 hours of community service in 2007. The first recipients of the President's Volunteer Award at UT Dallas were honored for their service at the McDermott Suite.
In 2009, the Department of Community Engagement was asked to coordinate the University's participation in this initiative. That same year the expansion of the program not only included 19 individuals who collectively contributed over 6,687 hour of volunteerism but ten student organizations collectively served an astonishing 8,381 hours of community service.
2010 marked a collaborative effort between the Office of Community Engagement and the Office of Student Volunteerism to encourage students to register and track their hours. The ongoing efforts have encouraged students to continue volunteering and making a positive impact. UT Dallas Living Learning Communities contributed 2,994 hours. Between individuals and student organizations, a total of 14,105 hours were recorded.
As of August 2011, faculty, staff, students and alumni have maintained an ongoing effort to purposely foster an atmosphere of community service in a myriad of facets. It is not surprising that over 16,000 hours of civic participation has been recorded thus far.
The Department of Community Engagement is proud to work with many of the campus departments and organizations to continue the spirit of volunteerism that has been foundational at The University of Texas at Dallas.
