The School of Professional Psychology at Forest Institute
was honored for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic
engagement by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Forest Institute was selected as one of only
15 schools in Missouri to make the "President’s Higher Education Community
Service Honor Roll.”
The honor roll has been administered since 2006 by the
Corporation for National and Community Service.
This year 641 colleges and universities applied for the honor, with only
511 being selected nationally.
"Congratulations to these schools and their students for their
dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities. We salute all the Honor Roll awardees for
embracing their civic mission and providing opportunities for their students to
tackle tough national challenges through service,” said Patrick A. Corvington,
CEO of CNCS.
Among services Forest Institute provides within our
community is the Robert J. Murney Clinic.
Our clinic has been a partner with the community through our service to
those seeking behavioral therapy, mental health counseling, and assessment
services for more than 25 years. The
Murney Clinic is a not-for-profit outpatient mental health center and is the
premiere community-based mental health provider in southwest Missouri.
Forest also provides practicum opportunities to our
students, which allow them to train and provide mental health services within
the community. Through this
faculty-supervised process, we are able to reach more underserved clients who
may not be able to reach our own clinic.
We provide a large amount of service through outreach sites at no
charge.
"Forest faculty and students
have been serving our community since 1995 and are honored to be recognized for
their contributions to the betterment of our community. We are pleased to
contribute to the health of citizens in SW MO," said Dr. Mark Skrade, President of Forest Institute.
Forest additionally created the "Give-A-Day” program
which allows Federal Work-Study students to devote an entire shift to community
service. Local organizations that have
benefited from this program include Ozark Food Harvest, Ronald McDonald House of
Southwest Missouri, Project Linus, Springfield Public Schools, National
Alliance on Mental Illness, and the Ozarks Fitness Festival.
Forest Institute continues its work within southwest
Missouri on a daily basis, and is pleased to be recognized by the national
honor roll. Enrich, advance, and serve
remain the words that represent our key principles, govern Forest
Institute’s curriculum and empower our mission of providing students with an
outstanding, practitioner-based education.