Maine Campus Compact (MCC) recognized two members from Saint Joseph’s College on Monday, April 27, 2015, at their 14th Annual Award Ceremony held at the State House Hall of Flags in Augusta, Maine.
Steven Bridge, PhD, professor of theology, was honored with The Donald Harward Award for Faculty Service-Learning Excellence, which is presented to distinguished faculty members who have made public service an integral part of their teaching and are advocates of service learning as an integral component of coursework.
"It's truly an honor to receive such prestigious statewide recognition for some of the community-based, service-learning programs that we're doing here at Saint Joseph's College,” says Bridge. “I've seen lives literally changed: broken families restored, deep divisions healed, impoverished communities improved, and, in some cases, the ‘impossible’ accomplished. It's education at its best, and I feel tremendously privileged to be a part of it."
The second award recipient with ties to the College was Mary Rose Becker ’15, a graduate of this year’s nursing class, who received the Heart and Soul Student Award. This endowment honors undergraduate students who have taken leadership roles to strengthen their campuses and communities through efforts to institutionalize community service, activism, and political involvement.
“This award serves as a reminder for all of the great work that is still to be done,” says Becker. “As I sat amongst the other award recipients and heard about their work, I was blessed with another very important reminder—that behind each of these individuals, including myself, there is an army of family, friends, colleagues, and community members working in support of one another and achieving great things.”
For photos from the event, visit the College's Facebook page.
Maine Campus Compact’s mission is to catalyze and lead a movement that reinvigorates the public purpose and civic mission of higher education. The organization seeks to transform campuses in ways that develop better informed, active citizen problem-solvers, stronger communities, and a more just, democratic society.
Established in 1994 and hosted at Bates College, MCC is a statewide coalition of 17 college and university presidents working to build strong communities and a more just democratic society by developing students’ citizenship and problem-solving skills through community-based learning. MCC is an affiliate state office of Campus Compact, which encompasses more than 1,100 college and university presidents, representing some 6 million students, dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education. More than 15,000 student volunteers at MCC member campuses provide some 1.6 million hours of service annually, with an economic impact of more than $25 million a year.
For more information on its programs and activism, visit the Maine Campus Compact website at www.mainecompact.org.
