Community Service

• 20 service hours are due each academic year until graduation from WMU (10 hours are due for an academic year if graduating in the fall semester, admitted to the LHC in a spring semester, or studying abroad in a fall or spring semester).
• Annual submission deadline is June 30.
• Service hours between July 1 and June 30 may count toward a given academic year for continuing honors students. New honors students may begin counting their first year’s volunteer hours after the first semester begins.
• Use the LHC Community Service form below to submit your full 20 service hours (instructions below).
• Community service guidelines (below) are used to determine which activities will count and not count for the LHC service requirement.
• Approval of service hours is at the discretion of the LHC. If you are unsure or have any questions about community service, please meet with an LHC advisor. 
• Students who are graduating in fall, studying abroad for a semester, or have transferred into the honors college in the spring semester are required to submit only 10 volunteer hours for that year. All other students must submit the full 20 hours. 

The spirit of the Lee Honors College community service requirement is to build a sustained commitment to civic engagement and serving others. In this spirit, volunteer hours should directly benefit people in need, community betterment, cultural engagement, animals, environmental and sustainability efforts, students with academic difficulties, and other nonprofit efforts and organizations that meet the guidelines below.

Community service activities must be performed through or for a non-profit organization in order to be accepted: 

• Note about RSO activities: Volunteer activities through an RSO serving the community outside the RSO (in alignment with the statement above) can count. Activities serving the RSO itself will not count.
• Note about faith-based organizations: Volunteer activities through a faith-based organization serving the community outside the organization (in alignment with the statement above) can count. Activities serving the faith-based organization itself (such as worship, events, building maintenance, membership, etc.) will not count.

Community service hours will be denied if the activities meet any of the following criteria:

• Paid services or forgoing pay for those services.
• Internships, clinicals, practicums, or field experiences.
• Political campaigning and religious proselytizing (see note above).
• Participation in RSOs, including membership or executive board responsibilities, such as recruitment, tabling, and attending meetings/events (see note above).
• Personal or professional development activities, such as attending conferences.
• Donating personal items, such as clothing or money, to an organization versus volunteering time to create items for donation and/or serving to manage donations; please contact your honors advisor if you are unsure or have questions.
• Participating in events, such as running a 5k, versus serving at the event.

Once you have completed all 20 hours, submit your hours via the LHC Community Service Log. Please note that if fewer than the required 20 hours are submitted, your submission will be denied. 

• Honors college staff will review and either approve or deny your submitted service log.
• If your submission is denied, the honors college staff reviewer will provide comments so that you can revise your submission. Questions or comments will be sent to your wmich.edu email address. 
• If your submission is approved, your community service requirement for the applicable year will be marked complete in your LHC block in DegreeWorks. 
• If you have more volunteer organizations to list than the number of fields available on this form, please submit a second form. 

Yes! Community service completed during the summer may count toward your honors college community service requirement, depending on the academic year and reporting guidelines. Check with honors college advising if you have questions about specific dates. 

Community service hours cannot be part of your paid employment, academic coursework, internship requirements, or activities primarily focused on personal or career development. Service must be unpaid and completed for the betterment of the community. If you are unsure whether an activity qualifies, reach out to your honors advisor before completing your hours. 

Community service is a required part of the Lee Honors College program. Students who do not complete their annual service hour requirement may need to make up missing hours. This could impact their standing in the honors college. 

No. Honors students are required to complete 20 service hours each academic year. We encourage you to keep track of all of your service time for your resume, employment, and graduate school opportunities.

No. Community service does not have to be completed in the Kalamazoo area. Honors students may volunteer with qualifying nonprofit or community organizations in other cities, states, or communities, as long as the service meets the honors college guidelines.

Community service opportunities and announcements are shared in the weekly LHC student email newsletter, so be sure to check your WMU email regularly. Students can also find volunteer opportunities through the list on our website. 

Community service must be unpaid and focused on serving others, preferably through a nonprofit organization. Activities that do not count toward your honors requirement include religious worship activities such as singing, playing an instrument, or performing during a church service; partisan political activities, including campaigning for a candidate or party; any service or work for which you are being paid. 

When choosing a service opportunity we encourage students to look for unpaid volunteer experiences with nonprofit or community organizations where the primary purpose is giving back and serving the community. If you are unsure whether an opportunity will count, reach out to your honors advisor.

Students should submit 20 service hours per academic year. If you have completed more than 20 hours for the academic year, and have hours missing from previous years, contact your honors advisor about applying your excess hours to previous years as make-up in order to meet your required total for graduation.