From organizing campus fund-raisers for hurricane victims to working in shelters and soup kitchens, 2005 was a busy year for West Virginia University student volunteers.

That can-do spirit was part of the driving force behind the conversion of WVU ’s Office of Service Learning Programs109 White Hall on the Downtown Campusinto the Center for Civic Engagement, the new clearinghouse for all service-learning and volunteer activities at the University.

With an increasing number of students making a difference in their communitieson average, WVU students logged more than 84,000 volunteer hours and 13,000 service-learning hours per semester last yearthe University wanted to step up its efforts, said Kim Colebank, director of the Center for Civic Engagement.

WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. added,Engagement is part of the University’s mission and students have taken that to heart as we have seen in recent outreach projects to assist victims of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Expanding the program reinforces our commitment to service and takes student-centered learning to another level.

With an expanded focus, the new Center for Civic Engagement will help streamline the University’s efforts by providing vision, leadership and support for:

• on-campus service-learning courses in multidisciplinary studies and leadership

• off-campus/international service-learning courses in partnership with Amizade and the Office of International Programs

• volunteer activities as part of University 101 orientation classes

• special projects such as the campus project to support families of the Sago miners (to be announced soon)

• individual and team projects

• projects for student service organizations

• and a mini-grant program.

Students will not only be able to volunteer as part of courses, but also earn academic credit both at home and abroad,said Associate Provost for Academic Programs Cheryl Torsney, who was instrumental in the development of the center.I am especially excited by the relationship we have formed with Amizade, the international service-learning organization, which will provide WVU students with service-learning courses in Bolivia , Ghana and Poland .

The CCE will also be coordinating University-wide support efforts related to the recent Sago mine tragedy.

For more information, visit the Center for Civic Engagement Web site athttp://www.wvu.edu/~cce/or call 304-293-8761.