Enganged and Honored

It won't hang from the rafters in Cameron Indoor, but in October, Duke added the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award to its list of achievements. One of six institutions nationwide to win the award, Duke was recognized for its commitment to global service and community involvement through its DukeEngage program.

Each year, DukeEngage places approximately 425 undergraduates in communities around the globe to collaborate on pressing social needs. The program has worked with communities to build stronger school enrichment programs, better health-outreach initiatives, more robust community-development efforts, and innovative engineering solutions in more than fifty countries across six continents. More than 1,400 Duke students have participated since the program began in 2007.

The award comes from the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, an independent nonprofit that serves colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad by providing students opportunities to work and learn in Washington for academic credit.

The awards were created in 2009 to honor universities that are "true role models for civic engagement in the academic community," says Mike Smith, president of the Washington Center. "Duke University has created an environment that brings students and community organizations together, showing that the best and most well-rounded academic experience is not just defined by classroom learning."