The New York Campus Compact -- hosted by Cornell -- has received $12,000 to support 100 part-time AmeriCorps community service positions on New York's college campuses. The grant from Washington Campus Compact and the Corporation for National and Community Service will be used to pilot the Students in Service program.

In turn, the Students in Service program supports the recruitment of college students to volunteer in their communities, helping to increase the capacity of local nonprofit agencies and schools to meet critical needs. In exchange for 300 hours of community service, college students earn a scholarship to help offset their educational expenses.

This year's pilot program will engage at least 100 students from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Nazareth College, SUNY Cortland and Syracuse University. Participating students will contribute more than 30,000 hours of service to nonprofit organizations in Syracuse, Cortland and Rochester. The total value of the Students in Service program is estimated at $185,200 for a single year.

Chartered in 2001 and hosted by Cornell, New York Campus Compact currently has 79 member colleges and universities, committed to promoting active citizenship as an aim of higher education. New York Campus Compact is an affiliate state office of Campus Compact, the only national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement. Campus Compact promotes public and community service that develops students' citizenship skills, helps colleges form effective community partnerships, and provides resources and training for faculty to integrate civic and community-based learning into curriculum.

For information about New York Campus Compact, contact Brittany Campese at 607-254-6239 or bcampese@cornell.edu.