Indiana State University is No. 1 nationwide in community service -- again

“It is always great to be number one but it is especially gratifying to accomplish it two years in a row,” said university President Dan Bradley. “This national ranking is the result of a lot of hard work by our students, faculty and staff. It demonstrates the commitment our university has made to community engagement. This is not a one-time thing, this is who we are.”

The ranking is based on the number of students participating in community service and the total number of service hours performed, both relative to school size.

From 2010 to 2013, Indiana State students averaged more than 1.4 million hours of service to 115 agencies, according to the university’s Center for Community Engagement and Experiential Learning. More than 1,800 incoming freshmen took part in the university’s annual Fall Donaghy Day of Service last week prior to the start of classes.

Indiana State is No. 30 in Washington Monthly’s overall rankings of national universities for 2014. In addition to service, the overall rankings take into account social mobility – recruiting and graduating low income students – and research. Among six Indiana universities appearing in the rankings, only Notre Dame ranks higher.

For purposes of rankings, a national university is a major research school.