BOONE—Appalachian State University is the winner of the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Technology Challenge Contest for a video documenting the university’s MLK Challenge event in January.  Appalachian beat out four national finalists by receiving 48 percent, or 6,701, of the 14,055 votes cast from 45 states across the United States.

The video was created by Appalachian & the Community Together, which sponsors an MLK Challenge event each year. The 11th annual event brought 170 students together to complete service challenge projects at 16 different local non-profits. As the contest winner, the university’s community service office will receive a small cash award to support future MLK service initiatives.

The national technology contest was developed by N.C. Campus Compact to highlight and increase college student volunteerism on MLK Day, one of two federal holidays designated as a day of service. Five entries were chosen as finalists for public voting based on five criteria: overall impact, originality, memorable content, technical quality, and the overall message of acknowledging and honoring King’s principles.

The other finalists included Central Piedmont Community College, Fayetteville State University, Missouri Southern State University and N.C. Wesleyan College.

To see Appalachian’s winning video entry, as well as the other four finalist entries, visit http://org.elon.edu/nccc/MLKVoting.html.  For more information about the campus-based service efforts, visit www.nccampuscompact.org. To learn about the national MLK Day of Service visit www.MLKDay.gov.

North Carolina Campus Compact is a coalition of 46 college and university presidents who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education.  N.C. Campus Compact is a member of national campus compact, which has more than 1,100 presidential members and 35 state offices.

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