A Cornell senior who has helped mobilize more than 600 students for volunteer community service has been recognized nationally for his public service work.

Neil Giacobbi, a student in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, has been named the winner of the Howard R. Swearer Student Humanitarian Award. Named for the 15th president of Brown University, the $1,500 Swearer Award is presented annually by Campus Compact, a national coalition of 500 colleges and universities, to five students for outstanding public service.

Giacobbi, the first Cornell student to receive the award, will be recognized March 18 at the American Association of Higher Education's national conference in Chicago. Giacobbi was cited for his work as founder and executive director of The Partnership, a student-managed human service agency that acts as a conduit between local human service agencies and the service community at Cornell. The Partnership develops projects in conjunction with area human service agencies and then recruits student volunteers to carry out the projects.

Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), a non-profit agency that works to rebuild neighborhoods for low- and moderate-income earners, has saved over $30,000 as a result of The Partnership, Giacobbi said. "We developed 31 projects with INHS in which student volunteers cleaned up city properties, painted and did some demolition work," he said. "Our efforts allowed the agency to stretch its budget." "Neil is a very enterprising and self-motivated individual," said John Rogers, rehabilitation manager at INHS. "Thanks to his work and that of The Partnership, we've been able to increase our program's effectiveness and reach." Giacobbi established The Partnership in April 1995 as a way to organize student volunteers to address the needs of area neighborhoods.

"I built The Partnership because I discovered that all the spirit and devotion to public service is hardly worth anything if students are unable to act," Giacobbi said. "The Partnership works to create opportunities for social change, and by doing so, plants the seeds of good citizenship." Since its creation, The Partnership has drafted more than 600 student volunteers into community service, resulting in a savings to agencies of more than $50,000.

Giacobbi said The Partnership's success is due to an entrepreneurial approach in managing large-scale community service projects. He also credits Cornell's Public Service Center, which advises the agency on important issues; Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, which gave more than $1,000 by in-kind donations; and Cornell alumni, whose gifts, such as the Robinson/Appel Humanitarian Award, support The Partnership's activities.

The senior, who is studying organizational behavior, has collected numerous accolades for his commitment to public service, including the Good Neighbor Award from INHS and The Roney Menschel Cornell Tradition Public Service Internship.

He is the recipient of a Joseph G. Grossman Tradition Fellowship and of a Cornell Alumni Association of Greater Rochester Tradition Fellowship.

Giacobbi, a 1991 graduate of Westhill High School in Syracuse, is the son of Rosemary DeJoseph and Peter Giacobbi of Syracuse.