Norwich University receives grant to fund student service

For Immediate Release
August 10, 2011

Contact: Daphne Larkin
802-485-2886 or 595-3613(m)
dlarkin@norwich.edu

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NEWS RELEASE

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University officials announced it has received a grant to support 28 part-time AmeriCorps community service positions for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The grant from Vermont Campus Compact, Washington Campus Compact and the Corporation for National and Community Service will be used to support the recruitment of college students to volunteer in their communities, helping to increase the capacity of local nonprofit agencies and schools and meeting critical community-defined needs.

The AmeriCorps Students in Service (SIS) program currently operates in 20 states across the country. Overall, 3,775 college students will participate in the program this year, and will contribute approximately 1.5 million hours of service to their local communities.

To date, Norwich University boasts the largest SIS team in the state and one of the largest in the Northeast.

Through SIS college student volunteers in Vermont will be eligible to earn $1,175 upon successful completion of 300 hours of service. This year’s program will engage at least 50 Students in Service members in tutoring, mentoring, coaching, providing services to disadvantaged youth and hosting service projects related to the environment and human services.


The Norwich SIS team is comprised of both civilian and Corps of Cadet students representing a range of academic majors, hometowns across the country and many areas of service-related interests from international and domestic sex-trafficking prevention to youth mentoring to providing services for senior citizens, US veterans and local residents.

Team members were selected carefully based on past demonstration of volunteer work, leadership skills, academic performance and anticipated service work plans since the number of applications exceeded the number of positions available.

“The Students in Service program provides opportunities for currently enrolled students to serve their communities while earning tuition assistance,” said Cheryl Whitney Lower, executive director of Vermont Campus Compact.

“This program is especially beneficial in these challenging times, allowing community organizations and their partnering campuses to meet more needs, and helping students and their families with the cost of higher education.”

In addition to Norwich, campuses that were awarded AmeriCorps positions from Vermont Campus Compact for the 2011-2012 year include: Bennington College, Castleton State College, Johnson State College, Lyndon State College, Middlebury College, Saint Michael's College, Southern Vermont College and the University of Vermont. Participating students on these campuses will contribute more than 15,000 hours of service to nonprofit organizations across the state. Collectively, they will receive more than $58,000 in education awards.

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Norwich University is a diversified academic institution that educates traditional-age students and adults in a Corps of Cadets and as civilians. Norwich offers a broad selection of traditional and distance-learning programs culminating in Baccalaureate and Graduate Degrees. Norwich University was founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge of the U.S. Army. Norwich University is the oldest private military college in the United States of America and the birthplace of our nation's Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). www.norwich.edu