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March 4, 2004 Contact: Charmaine Daniels at (207) 893-7723 or e-mail cdaniels@sjcme.edu

Two at Saint Joseph’s College receive service awards

Susan Fickett, Director of Service Learning at Saint Joseph's College, was awarded the Donald Harward Award for Service-Learning Excellence by Gov. John Baldacci at a ceremony in the Maine State House Hall of Flags on February 26. She was one of only three college staff statewide who were recognized by Maine Campus Compact for their accomplishments in service-learning, an instructional method in which students learn through involvement in service that meets a community need.

Fickett, also a nursing faculty member, engages her students through projects such as conducting medication reviews with elderly adults in their own homes, organizing a Valentine's Day Ball for senior citizens and working alongside elders on home maintenance chores. Fickett, of Topsham, also mentored her upper-level nursing students in establishing one of the first Parish Nursing programs in the state.

Matthew Crellin '06, a communications major from Scarborough, Maine, also won a Heart and Soul Award for his community service leadership. Crellin, who routinely volunteers for service activities, is a Spring Break Workfest leader, co-chair of the Justice & Peace Committee of Campus Ministry, serves on the Mercy Week committee, and is both a resident advisor and orientation advisor.

Maine Campus Compact is a statewide coalition of college and university presidents established to encourage and enhance campus engagement in the community.  The Donald Harward Faculty Award is presented annually.