The award was presented Feb. 11 at the American Council on Education (ACE) annual conference in San Diego.

The Honor Roll’s Presidential Award is the highest recognition a school can achieve for service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees were chosen for the scope and innovation of their projects, the percentage of student participation, incentives for service, and the academic courses offered in service-learning.

“At Chaminade University, we consider service to be a key component in educating our students and preparing them to become engaged citizens,” said Chaminade president Sue Wesselkamper.

Chaminade recently contributed 62,000 hours of service to the community from students, faculty and staff. Eighty-five percent of students participated in community service to disadvantaged youth.

The university’s Palolo Pipeline & Beyond project provided academic support to youth in the nearby Palolo housing development. Its efforts enabled Palolo middle and elementary schools to meet “No Child Left Behind” goals.

In addition, students helped working-poor families receive more than $150,000 in Federal Earned Income Tax Credits.

“Chaminade students are a sterling example of today’s college students who are tackling the toughest problems in America, demonstrating their compassion, commitment, and creativity by serving as mentors, tutors, health workers, and even engineers,” said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency.

The other schools receiving the Presidential Award for Service to Youth from Disadvantaged Circumstances were Syracuse University and the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif.

A total of 528 schools were recognized in a variety of levels and categories.