leges and universities that demonstrate a strong commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. An estimated 2,800 Southern students — nearly a quarter of the entire student body — were engaged in some form of community service during the 2008-09 academic year. About 95 percent of those students participated in at least 20 hours of community service per semester. All totaled, the students logged an estimated 38,000 service hours. At the local level, Southern also received the Corporate Heritage Award from the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce in recognition of more than a century of meritorious service to the region and the state. Southern was praised for its role as the state’s pacesetter for teacher education, its wide range of program offerings in the health and human services fields, its innovative partnerships with area corporations and nonprofits, and its emphasis on volunteerism and community engagement. “Southern Connecticut State University has been a huge contributor to the community-at-large, and we don’t always find that,” said Anthony Rescigno, president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, who presented the award. “To have a university that becomes a real partner with not only the business community but the community-at-large is a real credit to the institution.”

A contingent of about 250 students, as well as 20 faculty and staff members, met on campus before the start of Southern’s second annual Day of Service. The group helped clean up the streets of New Haven by collecting trash, sweeping, and gardening. In six hours, Southern collected more than eight tons of trash.

SOURCE: “Southern Connecticut State University, A Centennial History” by Thomas J. Farnham

The happy results of a 2008 toy drive.

The campus comes together for the annual Adopt-AFamily Holiday Food Drive. Pictured here are volunteers from 2002.

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