Humanitarian Work - Students

Mars Hill College

Mars Hill College, home to about 1,000

students, is the oldest institution of

higher education in the western North

Carolina mountains. The College has

always had a strong sense of place and

felt an obligation to play a leadership role

in the community that founded the college

in 1856 to provide educational opportunities

for the young people of the

region. Now, in our 150th year, we are

home to students from across the United

States as well as 17 countries. Our

alumni base includes a dozen college and

university presidents, the designer of the

Google logo, a U.S. Congressman, a

former editor of the New York Times,

and thousands of others who have made

their mark and continue to make valuable

contributions to the common good

across a wide range of fields.

MHC carved out a particular niche as a

community-connected institution with its

move from junior college to senior college

status in 1962. Through the leadership

of Academic Dean Richard Hoffman,

the College formed long-lasting

relationships of service and learning with

a wide range of community organizations,

from governmental agencies and

school systems, to businesses, non-profits

and grassroots groups. This contributed

to an ethos and culture supportive of

experiential education that is still present

today.

Beginning in the 1960s, the college was

active in the anti-poverty programs and

had a number of community-connected

initiatives, including some of the first

(federally-funded) Upward Bound and

VISTA programs. In the 1970s, the college's

service-learning program gave rise

to the Community Development Institute,

which gave students a variety of

opportunities to support the work of local

non-profit and grassroots organizations.

In the 1980s, the college concentrated

its efforts on the Appalachian

Scholars Program, which funded a number

of scholarships for low-income students

in the region, and enabled these

students to participate in service and

reflection activities focused on building

community in depressed areas of Appalachia.

In the 1990s, the college became

affiliated with the Bonner Foundation,

and established the LifeWorks Learning

Partnership to create stronger connections

between academic life, civic engagement,

and career development. The

new mission statement developed by the

faculty in 1997 underscores the commitment

to these connections:

Mars Hill College, an academic community

rooted in the Christian faith, challenges

and equips students to pursue intellectual,

spiritual and personal growth

through an education that is grounded in

the rigorous study of the liberal arts;

connected with the world of work; and

committed to character development,

service and responsible citizenship in the

community, the region and the world.

The College of

New Jersey

Located in Ewing, NJ, The College of

New Jersey (TCNJ) is a highly selective

institution