Mercer University has received the highest federal recognition for community service, according to a news release.

The university is one of 113 colleges and universities to be named to this year’s President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, the Corporation for National and Community Service announced Monday.

Institutions are chosen for the recognition based on the types of service projects they offer, the extent of their academic service projects, incentives for students to engage in community service and the percentage of students involved. Last academic year, more than half of Mercer’s student body completed nearly 225,000 hours of community service, according to the news release.

Mercer also was named to the honor roll in 2006 and 2008. This year, it is one of two colleges in Georgia to make the list, the news release said.

“Community service has been embedded in Mercer’s DNA since the university’s founding in 1833,” Mercer President Bill Underwood said in a news release. “It is a vital part of our mission.”