CLINTON, IOWA (February 23, 2009) –  The Corporation for National and Community Service has honored Bridgepoint Education’s Ashford University (AU) with a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to America’s communities.  

“We are excited to be named to the Community Service Honor Roll for the second year in a row,” said Dr. Jane McAuliffe, Ashford University president and Bridgepoint senior vice president and chief academic officer.  “This honor highlights how important community service is to the students, faculty and staff at Ashford.”

Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award are chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

Ashford was honored because of its involvement in several projects, including:

• Campus Pals, a group of AU students who meet on Monday afternoons to mentor at-risk middle school students;
• A KnowHow2Go event during which middle school students visit the Ashford University campus to learn about going to college;
• Several student organization sponsored activities – two blood drives, holiday giving trees for senior citizens and the Clinton County Humane Society, supply collection for a Haiti mission trip, and two off-campus concerts.

“In this time of economic distress, we need volunteers more than ever.  College students represent an enormous pool of idealism and energy to help tackle some of our toughest challenges,” said Stephen Goldsmith, vice chair of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which oversees the Honor Roll. “We salute Ashford University for making community service a campus priority, and thank the millions of college students who are helping to renew America through service to others.”

Overall, the Corporation honored six schools with Presidential Awards this year.  In addition, 83 were named as Honor Roll with Distinction members and 546 schools as Honor Roll members.  In total, 635 schools were recognized.  A full list is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.

“I offer heartfelt congratulations to those institutions named to the 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.  College and university students across the country are making a difference in the lives of others every day – as are the institutions that encourage their students to serve others,” said American Council on Education president Molly Corbett Broad.

Recent studies have underlined the importance of service-learning and volunteering to college students.  According to CNCS’s Volunteering in America 2007 study, 2.8 million college students donated more than 297 million hours of volunteer service in 2006.

As a CNCS program, the Honor Roll is in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is presented during the annual conference of the American Council on Education. 

About The Corporation for National and Community Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations.  For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is a coeducational institution regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, with programs in education, business, accounting, criminal and social justice, computer animation and graphic design, and other areas.  The University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as a range of student activities and athletics, at its Clinton campus.  Online degree programs are available in education, organizational management, business administration, and psychology. 

The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable on-campus and online programs, with tuition fees among the lowest in the U.S. compared to other private institutions.  Its tagline is: “Higher Education Made Affordable”^SM.  For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, Director of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.  

About Bridgepoint Education
Based in San Diego, Bridgepoint Education was founded on the principle that anyone who is academically prepared deserves access to higher education without sacrificing quality, transferability of credits, accessibility, academic standards, or credentials. As an independent, private higher education company, Bridgepoint is committed to serving the millions of adults seeking an affordable alternative to high priced higher education. Bridgepoint Education subsidiaries provide both traditional and online education offerings, in addition to recruiting and admissions services. Our comprehensive education services have helped thousands of students improve their lives and careers through higher education. In August 2008, for the second year in a row, Bridgepoint Education was named by Inc. magazine as the fastest growing private education company in the United States. For more information, please contact Shari Rodriguez, Director of Public Relations, at 858.668.2586 x2513 or visit us at www.bridgepointeducation.com.