​Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) in Massachusetts has received a $2 million donation from an anonymous donor to establish a civic learning center, which will support volunteerism, civic involvement and community engagement.

MWCC President Daniel Asquino said the donation will go toward an endowment fund to provide perpetual annual income to support the program together with matching funds or in-kind services from the college. The donation came through the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts.

“Through civic engagement, we empower our students with the understanding of how they can change their community and the world,” Asquino said.

According to the Corporation for National & Community Service, individuals who participate in high-quality, community-based service learning benefit in many ways, including enhanced problem-solving and teamwork skills, higher academic success and ongoing commitment to service.

Earlier this week, a report from the National Task Force for Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement called on colleges and universities to re-think civic learning and make it a requirement for all students, noting that community college students in particular benefit from such efforts.

A record of involvement

Over the past decade, MWCC students logged more than 150,000 hours of community service and service learning hours valued at $3.6 million to the community, according to the college. Such endeavors have consecutively earned the college a place on the National President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, with distinction, the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service learning and civic engagement.

MWCC also participates in the Democracy Commitment, a national community college initiative, as well as the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' American Democracy Project. In addition, the college was one of the American Association of Community Colleges’ 2008-2009 Project Reach grantees, where veterans and students with disabilities participated in service learning.

MWCC “took an important leadership role by recognizing how important volunteerism is to a healthy and vibrant community," said Phil Grzewinski, president of the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, adding that the endowment will help ensure the work will continue for generations.

A renewed focus

The new Center for Civic Learning & Community Engagement at MWCC will assume civic engagement and service learning programs currently provided through the college’s Center for Democracy and Humanity, which was established in 2005.

The center will also:

• establish best practices.
• support  programs, activities and community events that highlight the value of civic engagement and its relationship to healthy communities.
• support courses and programs for middle and high school students to increase awareness and importance of civic learning and engagement.
• help fund “Pay It Forward” awards for MWCC students who show commitment and provide mentorship in areas of civic learning.