CIU honored with Community Impact Award
The has recognized 星空无限传媒 with the Community Impact Organization of the Year Award for the school鈥檚 work on improving the Monticello Road corridor leading to the CIU campus.
CIU President Dr. Mark Smith accepted the award at the January meeting of the Mayor's Roundtable Luncheon.
In the two and a half years that Smith has led CIU, he has made it a priority to improve CIU鈥檚 neighborhood in North Columbia, purchasing seven properties and transforming the formerly blighted area into a commercially-viable district.听One of the first properties revitalized now houses a with plans for a Dairy Queen restaurant/convenience store combination on another property.
Smith said that when he came to CIU he brought community leaders together to consider priorities for improving the neighborhood. Since then, crime has been reduced, the CIU basketball teams are assisting local schools with reading programs, and residents from the neighborhood have been hired as CIU employees. He especially noted a neighborhood resident who served jail time, and as a result could not find a job.
鈥淔or three years he has worked in our maintenance department and loves his job and is there every day on time and we love him to death,鈥 Smith said drawing applause from the crowd at the luncheon.
Smith also drew applause when he described CIU鈥檚 $5000 down payment incentive to employees to buy a home in the neighborhood, and added an exclamation point to his neighborhood commitment when he said:
鈥淭his president鈥檚 heart says this. Any university that doesn鈥檛 invest in its neighborhood should go out of business. We鈥檙e going to invest heavily.鈥
星空无限传媒 consistently ranks听among the Top Regional Universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report. Excitement is growing on campus with increased enrollment and new academic programs such as the听.听听on enrollment at CIU and听Columbia Biblical Seminary听or call听(800) 777-2227, ext. 5024.听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听