College and University Blog
25 Colleges Honor 25th Anniversary of MLK Day
January 17, 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The humble Dr. King once said, "Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”
From Ivy League universities to local community colleges, students from across the country participated in Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service events to experience “A day on, not off.”
In honor of the 25th anniversary of this significant federal holiday, we’ve created a unique list of 25 colleges and universities that held MLK Day events this year.
1. Arizona State University. Students from all ASU campuses were encouraged to honor Dr. King’s legacy by giving back to the community through several service projects on the campus of University Public School Phoenix on January 17. Family, friends and neighbors were welcome.
2. Belmont University. Belmont University will be holding a week’s worth of events as part of its 15th annual series of Commemorative Programs, which include the MLK Worship Service and Diversity Dialogue as well as Multi-Culturalism and the Christian University: MLK Celebration Keynote Address. Belmont’s commitment to MLK Week began in 1997 and continues to grow today.
3.Bryn Mawr College. Bryn Mawr College’s Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service gave students the opportunity to participate in a variety of service projects, such as the Cynwyd Heritage Trail Clean Up and the Greater Norristown Police Athletic League (PAL) Day of Service.
4. Colorado College. Colorado College held a variety of events to honor Dr. King, including the MLK Candle Lighting in Shove Chapel and “I have a Dream” Video broadcasts, which were open to the general public.
5. Davidson College. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Walk for Change, the MLK Seminar Series and the MLK Community Celebration: Gospel Extravaganza were free and open to the public.
6. University of Florida. UF community members learned about service opportunities in Gainesville and met new people while experiencing their community and celebrating Dr. King’s legacy.
7. George Fox University. Students and staff from George Fox University joined more than 1,200 representatives from eight other colleges and universities to serve the Portland metropolitan area with acts of volunteerism on January 17.
8. Georgia Perimeter College. Georgia Perimeter College’s 15th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Beyond the Dream” 2011 National MLK Day of Service gave students the opportunity to participate in over 15 community service projects.
9. Ithaca College. ٳ’s MLK Day of Service was an opportunity for students and Ithaca College community members to perform service at organizations and agencies in the Greater Ithaca area, including Ithaca State Theatre, Level Green Institute and Books Through Bars.
10. Linfield College. Linfield College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service featured 1,000 students from 8 colleges volunteering across the city of Portland. They were united in the spirit of service and MLK.
11. University of Louisville. University of Louisville students volunteered at a variety of community service sites and donations were accepted for the Dare to Care food drive. A guest speaker and free food were also provided.
12. UMass Amherst. UMass Amherst Commonwealth Honors College students collaborated with local community organizations for the day, winterizing classrooms at The Literacy Project’s Ware and cleaning and painting rooms at Girls, Inc. of Holyoke.
13. Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Minneapolis Community and Technical College students participated in the MLK Day of Service breakfast and volunteer service event, which included an inspirational message from Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, the founder for the Student African American Brotherhood.
14. New York University. New York University’s 6th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Week will be held from February 7 through 12, 2011. All NYU schools, departments, units, student organizations and alumni are invited to be an integral part of MLK Week.
15. North Carolina Wesleyan College. The North Carolina Wesleyan College Office of Community Engagement and the United Way Tar River Region partnered for the MLK Day of Service on January 17. Following the City of Rocky Mount’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, students and other volunteers performed service projects at a variety of sites.
16. University of North Dakota. The University of North Dakota was closed in honor of the holiday, and students participated in a march around the campus, followed by coffee and tea and a mass meeting.
17. Northern Virginia Community College. Student volunteers at Northern Virginia Community College volunteered for a variety of causes and collected school supplies that will be assembled for students in Iraq and Afghanistan.
18. Ohio State University. Ohio State University’s Dr. Martin Luther King Day events were a campus-wide community service event involving over seven hundred students, faculty members and staff members. The OSU representatives honored the life and legacy of Dr. King through a morning of community service in the university district as well as the greater Columbus area.
19. Penn State. Penn State students commited their day off to serving their community as part of a University-wide commemoration of Dr. King’s legacy. Penn State Lehigh Valley served as the host for dozens of students from the Northeast Regional Penn State campuses as they gathered to honor the vision of Dr. King and perform service at locations throughout the area.
20. Princeton University. Princeton University’s annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. included a program on campus as well as annual literary, visual arts and video contests open to students in New Jersey grades 4 through 12.
21. Rollins College. The Martin Luther King Day of Service volunteer project was a collaborative effort between the Rollins College community and the Apopka Farmworkers. The event was held to commemorate and celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
22. Simpson College. Students from Des Moines area colleges were led by Simpson College to unite with various youth organizations across Des Moines on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for a day of service. Students were assigned individual service projects and given the chance to sign up for other service opportunities at a volunteer fair.
23. Tulane University. Tulane MLK Day of Service volunteers participated in a variety of tasks such as painting, gardening and cleaning for a variety of non-profit organizations in the community.
24. Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt University Martin Luther King, Jr. Day activities included transportation for students to the Nashville MLK Day March, community service volunteer projects, “teach-ins” by faculty on themes related to the life and work of King, Roundtable lunch discussions, a candlelight vigil and more.
25. University of Washington. University of Washington students were able to participate in MLK Day of Service projects through the United Way of King County. The University of Washington—Tacoma is hosting an entire week honoring Dr. King from January 17 through January 22. Events include the MLK Jr. Unity Breakfast and 2011 MLK Jr. Celebration at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall.
Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.