DARTMOUTH – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has been named in the top 1 percent of colleges nationwide for efforts in support of volunteering, service learning and civic engagement, by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education.

The university was listed as one of 14 finalists, in a program CNCS has administered since 2006, out of 642 institutions on the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

The program recognizes a strong commitment of schools to community partnerships in areas including literacy, neighborhood revitalization and support of at-risk youth.

At UMass Dartmouth, nearly 66 percent of last year’s graduating seniors participated in community service, up from 27 percent in 2009. Participation in the university’s Center for Civic Engagement has increased by nearly 500 percent since it opened in 2008. •