ACT is supported by both Student Development and Academic Affairs, and is a proud member of North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide university coalition dedicated to community service, service-learning, and civic engagement initiatives. The ACT Service-Learning & Community-Based Research Program is a unit within Appalachian’s University College. University College consists of the university’s integrated general education curriculum, academic support services, residential learning communities, interdisciplinary degree programs and co-curricular programming all designed to support the work of students both inside and outside of the classroom.

ACT's Mission

ACT's mission is directly in line with Appalachian State University's academic mission and strategic directions. Listed below are five main points which outline what we strive to accomplish through our work with ASU students, faculty members, and our community partners.

• To raise awareness about crucial social concerns, encourage students to view themselves as part of the global community, and challenge them to seek solutions to the complex root causes of these systemic problems.
• To instill an ethic of caring of students, teach students about the importance of civic responsibility, and empower them to engage in active citizenship beyond graduation from ASU.
• To illustrate the powerful connection between theory and practice by integrating community service with academic coursework/research, thus augmenting the university's intellectual climate.
• To support and recognize the efforts of individuals, organizations, and classes whose actions and commitment enhance local community agencies' abilities to deliver services, thereby strengthening the relationship between ASU and the local community.
• To challenge students to embark on an inner journey of personal, intellectual, moral, and cultural development as they engage in service projects that meet the human needs and environmental concerns of Watauga County, the U.S., and in many countries around the world.

ACT in Action

Due to the tremendous work of ASU students, faculty, staff, and our community partners, we have received some high accolades.

• In 2007, ASU was recognized "with distinction" on the President's Higher Education Honor Roll, with a focus on outreach to disadvantaged youth.
• In 2008, ASU received the Community Engagement Elective Classification for Curricular Engagement and Outreach & Partnerships by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
• In 2009, ASU was featured in Beyond the Books for Excellence in Service-Learning.

ACT's Impact

Since 04/05, over 19 million dollars of value has been contributed to the community via the ACT program (869,000 hours of service plus $303,000 funds raised) using the $21.79 per hour national standard for volunteer time (http://www.independentsector.org/programs/research/volunteer_time.html).