Please join us on Thursday, April 22 at 4:15 p.m. in Spiro 2 for the presentation of the 2010 Wagner College Civic Engagement Awards.
The Civic Engagement Awards are given to recognize exceptional individuals and community partners who exemplify a sense of caring and responsibility for others that connects citizens and works to address community problems. The awards are given in five categories: Wagner faculty, Wagner staff, Wagner community partner, Wagner student, and Wagner department. This year’s winners are:
- Faculty award: Jean Halley, Associate Professor of Sociology — Nominated for her outstanding dedication to students and the entire Wagner College community, Professor Halley embodies the life of an engaged scholar. Beloved by her students, Dr. Halley energetically promotes the development of the whole individual through the integration of thoughtful reflection, strong academic scholarship, and active participation in meaningful experiential learning outside of the classroom.
- Staff award: Alejandro Lojo, Program Manager, External and Summer Programs — Alex Lojo promotes intercultural understanding and fosters meaningful relationships between Wagner College and the greater community. He has sought certification to teach Spanish to individuals in the medical field, and he tutors elementary and middle school students to help improve their language skills. His professional work truly connects the campus to the community.
- Community partner award: Community Health Action — When the Sociology Department selected Community Health Action as one of our newest Civic Innovations partners in 2009, it formalized a collaboration that has been in place for several years. The staff of Community Health Action works tirelessly to: identify and serve the needs of Staten Islanders living with HIV/AIDS; develop educational, health and social programs for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities; conduct a job counseling program for family members of primary clients; operate a food bank for the general community, and direct a medically supervised outpatient treatment program for persons dealing with active drug or alcohol use.
- Student award: Melissa Beck, senior, Sociology/Anthropology and Education — Melissa Beck holds many leadership roles on campus, including president of Kappa Delta Pi, the education honors society, and vice president of the Promising Student Society. In these roles, Ms. Beck is at the forefront of a variety of charitable fund-raising efforts. She has helped coordinate events such as Light the Night, the Breast Cancer Walk, and Powder Puff Football. Off campus, she volunteers at a nursing home as well as with the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
- Department Award: Evelyn L. Spiro School of Nursing — The Spiro School of Nursing is deeply committed to the Staten Island community. Faculty continues to develop a strong, community-based curriculum and extend learning through direct health services to underserved youth and adults. Whether operating a free clinic at the African Refuge Center in Park Hill, tutoring or conducting health fairs with United Activities Unlimited, or promoting an anti-bullying campaign at P.S. 45, the Nursing School exemplifies consistent, productive civic engagement that involves collaboration between faculty, students, and members in the community.
A sixth award will also be presented at Thursday afternoon’s ceremony. The Project Pericles Senior Award, recognizing socially responsible and participatory citizenship, will be given to Megan Allen, a senior graduating with a major in sociology. Ms. Allen is the former president of the Earth Club and a member of Alpha Kappa Delta (the international sociology honors society), Habitat for Humanity, Promising Student Society and the Gardening Club. She currently interns at WE ACT for Environmental Justice (West Harlem Environmental Action Inc.), a non-profit organization dedicated to building community power to fight environmental racism and improve environmental health and policy in communities of color. Last summer, her passion took her all the way to Hawaii, where she worked on four different farms and learned about organic food production through the WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) Program. She has also been active with Community Health Action and the Youth Access Program in Staten Island, and the Catholic Workhouse in Hartford, Conn.
Our keynote speaker for the 2010 Civic Engagement Recognition Awards program is Elson Nash, acting director of Learn & Serve America. Mr. Nash has been with Learn & Serve America for more than 7 years and has extensive experience in higher education, non-profit management and government relations. Over the years, he has worked as executive director of California Campus Compact, deputy director at Ashoka, an international foundation for social entrepreneurs, program manager for Urban Affairs at AASCU & NASULGC, and cluster coordinator at the Carter Center of Emory University. In each of these positions, Mr. Nash has worked on some aspect of civic engagement and service-learning.
