In capturing the President’s Higher Education Community Honor Roll Presidential Award for the eighth consecutive year, College of the Canyons has been recognized on a national level for its commitment to community, service-learning and civic engagement.

Originally inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll initiative is meant to celebrate the transformative power and volunteer spirit that exists within the higher education community.

COC is part of a list of award winners that includes prestigious four-year universities such as Loyola Marymount, Duke, Stanford, Baylor, Georgetown and Rutgers.

“We would not have accomplished this without the faculty who participated in the program, understanding the benefits our students receive when they get involved in their community,” said Anthony Michaelides, Director of Career Services at COC. “Equally as important were the many non-profit businesses and agencies who opened their doors to our students, and of course those individuals who actually completed their service hours.”

In 2014, more than 300 COC students completed their service-learning hours each semester, an increase of four percent from the previous year.

Recent College of the Canyons service-learning projects include student placement with the American Cancer Society, William S. Hart museum, Placerita Canyon Nature Center, Friends of Castaic Lake, Carousel Ranch, Providence Holy Cross, SCV Senior Center, LARC Ranch, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Domestic Violence Center of SCV.

The Corporation for National and Community Service oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

Honorees are chosen on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of their service projects, percentage of student participation in the projects, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

College of the Canyons has been included on the honor roll every year since its inception in 2006.

For more information about service-learning opportunities at College of the Canyons, please contact the COC service-learning office at (661) 362-3231.