Hundreds of Bellarmine's incoming freshmen took part in Knights in Action: Day of Service, as part of their orientation program in August 2012.

The Corporation for National and Community Service has recognized Bellarmine University among U.S. colleges and universities on the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the national organization has administered the honor roll since 2006. It honors the nation’s leading higher education institutions and their students, faculty and staff for their commitment to bettering their communities through service.

“Communities are strengthened when we all come together, and we are encouraged that these institutions and their students have made service a priority,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Civic engagement should be a key component of every student’s education experience. Through reaching out to meet the needs of their neighbors, these students are deepening their impact, strengthening our democracy and ultimately preparing themselves to be successful citizens.”

College students make a significant contribution to their communities through volunteering and service, according to the most recent Volunteering and Civic Life in America report. In 2012, 3.1 million college students dedicated more than 118 million hours of service across the country — a contribution valued at $2.5 billion.

At Bellarmine, service to others is a key component of the university's mission statement. Community engagement occurs among students, faculty and staff in experiences inside and outside the classroom, through programs such as:

• Knights in Action: Day of Service (2,250 hours of service at the start of the academic year).
• Service learning in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, through the Service-Learning Clinic and partnerships with The Catholic Enrichment Center and First Steps (over 4,050 hours of service throughout the year).
• Spring break service trips serving domestic communities across the United States (over 1,040 hours of service).

The Corporation for National and Community Service manages the program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education and Campus Compact.