University of New England

3 UNE students and staff member receive awards from Maine Campus Compact

Three senior students and one staff member at the University of New England received awards from the Maine Campus Compact (MMC) at a ceremony held March 15th Augusta to recognize students, staff and faculty members from colleges and universities across the state for their efforts to engage their respective campuses and communities.

The MCC is a statewide coalition of college and university presidents established to enhance campus and community engagement.

Compact award winners from UNE were Mark Nahorney, director of the Campus Center and student orientation (Civic Stewardship Award); Caroline T. Bright, a senior in psychology (PILLARS Student Award); and Mindy Holt, a senior in dental hygiene, and Randall Thomas, a senior in psychology (Unsung Student Hero Awards).

Civic Stewardship Award
Maine Campus Compact recognizes one staff or faculty member per member campus that has shown a significant commitment to promoting and supporting civic engagement both on and off campus with the Campus Civic Stewardship Award.

Recipients actively promote the civic agenda of the campus through recruiting and supporting others in implementing service-learning, advocating for civic engagement with campus and community constituencies, and/or publicizing the civic work happening on campus. Through their innovative leadership, the recipient is a steward of civic engagement on their campus and serves as an example of an engaged citizen for students, faculty, staff and community.

PILLARS Student Award
Maine Campus Compact recognizes civic endeavors of students with the PILLARS (Philanthropy Innovation Learning Leadership Action Responsibility Service) Student Award. These students are pillars of their campuses and in their communities. They support the civic efforts of others and take leadership roles in addressing and finding solutions to issues that face their communities.

Unsung Student Hero Award
Maine Campus Compact recognizes two students from each member campus that have shown commitment to service with an Unsung Hero Award. These students show passion for civic causes and actively engage not through leadership roles but through volunteering of their time and services to address the cause.

In effect, recipients will have been the backbone of an organization, someone who always attends and volunteers for events but doesn't necessarily plan or lead the event. While doing service, these students are committed and focused on giving to and gaining from the experience as much as they can. Students efforts may have been through service learning courses, extracurricular programming and/or entirely on their own initiative.

(Press release issued February 22, 2005)