UM is one of seven colleges and universities nationwide to receive the Higher Education Award for Leadership in National Service. The Corporation for National Service selected UM for the honor.

UM earned the award for its efforts to help students develop the values and skills of citizenship through civic engagement and public service. Since 1993 the Missoula campus has housed Montana Campus Compact, a statewide higher education organization that supports campus-based public service.

The compact oversees 55 part-time Campus Corps: AmeriCorps members who coordinate service on 15 Montana campuses. These students tutor in schools, coordinate environmental cleanups, structure school activities for youth, collect food for the hungry and generally work to meet a variety of needs in Montana communities.

The compact also supports UM’s Volunteer Action Services in its Digital Divide Program, with 26 full-time members who work to educate rural Montanans about Information Age technology. In addition, Campus Compact awards fellowships to higher education faculty members who integrate service learning into their course work and address a variety of community needs.

The Corporation for National Service was established in 1993 to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to their communities.