Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 86.09
Liaison Jennifer Andrews
Submission Date Aug. 16, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of New Hampshire
EN-13: Community Service

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.66 / 5.00 Jennifer Andrews
Project Director
Sustainability Institute
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 1 of this credit (student participation in community service)?:
Yes

Total number of students:
14,115

Number of students engaged in community service:
5,717

Percentage of students engaged in community service:
40.50

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (community service hours)?:
Yes

Total number of student community service hours contributed annually:
348,878.50

Number of annual community service hours contributed per student:
24.72

Does the institution have a formal program to support employee volunteering during regular work hours?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s program to support employee volunteering:

As part of its comprehensive benefit package, the University System of New Hampshire offers status employees up to eight hours per year of paid community service time.

From the USNH Employee Benefits Policy
(https://www.usnh.edu/policy/usy/v-personnel-policies/employee-benefits#usyva415):
"4.15 Community Service. USNH encourages employees to become involved in our community—to provide voluntary support of programs that positively impact the quality of life within our employees’ community. The following guidelines apply to community service through a non-profit community program of a personal interest, or as part of a campus-sponsored activity.

4.15.1 An employee may take up to 8 hours of paid time during one working day per fiscal year to participate in a volunteer program. Supervisors must approve Community Service program participation at least 15 days before the program begins, to allow for the coordination of work-related responsibilities.

Volunteer time should not conflict with peak work schedules, result in cancellation of classes, create a need for overtime, cause conflicts with other employee’s schedules or otherwise run counter to Conflict of Interest (USY V.D.7) or Political Activity Regulations (USY V.D.8). If a conflict arises, or the requested activity does not fall within established guidelines, the request may be denied.

4.15.1.1 Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Volunteering with a non-profit, charitable organization, such as United Way, Habitat for Humanity, humane shelters, family assistance services, etc.
Assistance with grade school activities, such as reading or writing assistance, or chaperoning field trips
Staffing or donating to a blood drive, such as those sponsored by the Red Cross.
Providing support to a campus-specific community service event (such as those shown under www.unh.edu/serve)."

Our Sustainability STARS Leadership program also supports and encourages participants to organize departmental community service events: https://www.unh.edu/sustainability/campus-initiatives/stars-leadership


Does the institution track the number of employee community service hours contributed through programs it sponsors?:
No

Total number of employee community service hours contributed annually through programs sponsored by the institution:
---

Website URL where information about the institution’s community service programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

NOTE: The number of students above is the headcount of undergraduates and graduates for AY19-20, which is when the above student community service hours were completed; it does not correspond to PRE-5, which reflects AY20-21.

UNH has several community service programs that promote active citizenship in the campus and our community. Our vision is that all of our graduates will leave campus as engaged citizens with the skills and intention to be active in strengthening their communities. This begins with the opportunity for incoming students to participate in PrOVES, one of the nation's top-ranked student orientation programs nationally, focused on community service. (https://www.unh.edu/new-students/pre-arrival-programs/proves) It continues with numerous opportunities to participate in community service through student programs, service learning, and special events like Earth Day (https://www.unh.edu/serve/earth-day-service-projects).

The Office of Civic and Community Engagement (OCCE) is a resource for UNH community members interested in service, and for community organizations who seek students interested in connecting and serving with them.

OCCE provided some of the student data for this submission, which focuses on AY19-20 since the COVID pandemic disrupted many service opportunities in 20-21. OCCE tracks community service participation across campus, in part through an online mechanism in which students log their service hours (https://www.unh.edu/serve/how-log-service-hours), and in part through outreach to student organizations. Their figures are included in the uploaded documentation (the "CSOs" line item). Also included in the data/documentation are service learning hours undertaken in the context of coursework, by students in programs from education to social work to music to nutrition. Those data were provided by the departments and programs indicated.


NOTE: The number of students above is the headcount of undergraduates and graduates for AY19-20, which is when the above student community service hours were completed; it does not correspond to PRE-5, which reflects AY20-21.

UNH has several community service programs that promote active citizenship in the campus and our community. Our vision is that all of our graduates will leave campus as engaged citizens with the skills and intention to be active in strengthening their communities. This begins with the opportunity for incoming students to participate in PrOVES, one of the nation's top-ranked student orientation programs nationally, focused on community service. (https://www.unh.edu/new-students/pre-arrival-programs/proves) It continues with numerous opportunities to participate in community service through student programs, service learning, and special events like Earth Day (https://www.unh.edu/serve/earth-day-service-projects).

The Office of Civic and Community Engagement (OCCE) is a resource for UNH community members interested in service, and for community organizations who seek students interested in connecting and serving with them.

OCCE provided some of the student data for this submission, which focuses on AY19-20 since the COVID pandemic disrupted many service opportunities in 20-21. OCCE tracks community service participation across campus, in part through an online mechanism in which students log their service hours (https://www.unh.edu/serve/how-log-service-hours), and in part through outreach to student organizations. Their figures are included in the uploaded documentation (the "CSOs" line item). Also included in the data/documentation are service learning hours undertaken in the context of coursework, by students in programs from education to social work to music to nutrition. Those data were provided by the departments and programs indicated.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.