WSU Honored Nationally With Prestigious Civic Engagement Award

OGDEN, Utah – Weber State University is among five colleges and universities chosen this year from nearly 100 nominations to receive the 2015 Higher Education Civic Engagement Awards presented by The Washington Center and the New York Life Foundation. Recipients were chosen based upon their leadership and innovation in civic engagement.

WSU’s Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) director Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski accepted the award during The Washington Center’s annual luncheon in Washington, D.C., at the National Press Club on Oct. 5.

“WSU’s commitment to addressing issues of public concern involves a three-pronged approach,” said Charles A. Wight, WSU president. “Students have the opportunity to provide direct service, making an immediate impact in the lives of individuals most affected by the issue. They can conduct community research with and for community organizations to better understand the causes and consequences of an issue. They also can engage in the democratic process, which teaches students how to navigate governing structures in order to create systemic change as it relates to the issue.”

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, in partnership with the New York Life Foundation, established this award to celebrate institutions in the higher-education community that are reaching beyond their own campuses to achieve sustainable civic impact. The award aims to highlight, in particular, innovation and leadership in forging partnerships beyond the campus to define and address issues of public concern, whether at the local, regional or international level.

Every year, Weber State students, faculty and staff extend their reach into communities both near and far. They tutor struggling junior high school students. They survey neighborhoods about community issues. They provide free dental care to children. They build orphanages and women’s centers in Peru and Thailand. The community engagement center continues to expand and now involves 25 percent of the university’s 26,000 students. In the 2014-15 academic year, 6,554 students contributed 163,060 hours of community service.

“Weber State University is a shining example of how universities are taking the traditional curriculum model and incorporating initiatives that teach self-awareness, community engagement and lifelong leadership skills,” said Mike Smith, president of The Washington Center. “Weber State University is a true leader within the academic community, and we extend our congratulations on this honor.”

A committee of leaders in the field of civic engagement selected the recipients of the award. Serving on this committee were:

Geraldine Mannion, Carnegie Corporation of New York, chair

Michelle Cooper, Institute for Higher Education Policy

Bobby Hackett, Bonner Foundation

Heather Smith, Rock the Vote (former)

Other academic institutions receiving the 2015 Civic Engagement Award include Dominican University of California, John Carroll University, Rutgers University–Camden, and Tufts University.

About The Washington Center

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic seminars is an independent, nonprofit organization that serves hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States and other countries to provide selected students challenging opportunities to work and learn in Washington, D.C., for academic credit. The largest program of its kind, The Washington Center has more than 50,000 alumni who have become leaders in numerous professions and nations around the world. It was established in 1975. For more information, visit www.twc.edu

About the New York Life Foundation

Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided more than $155 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. Through its focus on “Nurturing the Children,” the foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement and childhood bereavement. The foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees, agents and retirees of New York Life through its Volunteers for Life program. To learn more, please visit the foundation’s website at www.newyorklifefoundation.org.

Video link of Kowalewski discussing community engagement https://youtu.be/082s8bRT_gg

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

Author:

Allison Barlow Hess, Director of Public Relations
801-626-7948 • ahess@weber.edu

Contact:

Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski, CCEL director
801-626-7737 • bkowalewski@weber.edu