Economic impact of UNCW's volunteer service valued at $3.89M - WECT TV6-WECT.com:News, weather & sports Wilmington, NC

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – The economic impact of UNCW's volunteer services are valued at $3.89 million, according to a new report by the Chancellor's Office of Community Partnerships.

The UNCW Community Partnerships Impact Report shows that UNCW students, faculty and staff participated in more than 178,555 hours of service through 714 documented partnerships during the 2010-2011 academic year.

According to UNCW, the study calculates the economic impact of faculty, staff and students' service by multiplying the hours served by $21.79, the nationally estimated value of volunteer time, according to the Independent Sector.

"Our students, faculty and staff are not necessarily thinking about the economic impact of their efforts when they volunteer in a local school, build a house for a family in need, start a community garden, serve on a nonprofit organization's board or participate in activities that address regional concerns. They are focused on making a difference in our community, our state and our world," Chancellor Gary L. Miller said. "I believe it is important to underscore the value of their efforts to measurably demonstrate UNCW's commitment to our love of place."

Other study results from UNCW include:

• Nearly half of UNCW's 13,000 students participated in outreach efforts through service learning projects, community service projects and civic engagement activities.
• In regard to faculty service, there were 259 faculty members reporting, representing 41 departments, who contributed 19,531 hours of service to more than 600 local, regional, state and national organizations. Faculty held 238 leadership positions (such as board member, president, etc.) in the varied organizations.
• These activities took place at 1,532 different sites during 2010-2011. Nearly half the sites (652) were located in Wilmington/New Hanover County.
• Programs that focus on education account for 27% of the 714 community partnerships documented in 2010-11. Other percentages include: social services (24%); arts and culture (15%); and health services (12%).
• A full copy of the Impact Report is available on the new Community Partnerships website: uncw.edu/partnerships.

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