West Virginia Campus Compact recognized 10 colleges and universities and a faculty member from Fairmont State University for service leadership at its first statewide conference at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg. Dr. Brian Noland, Chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, recognized and thanked the schools for their leadership and for the community service their students are performing in their communities.

Chancellor Noland said the West Virginia Campus Compact is a strategic initiative of the WVHEPC because community service and service learning are valuable components in our students’ overall education. Service puts theory into action, benefitting both the student and the community. Continued partnerships with communities can move the state forward in a positive and progressive way.

“Between April 2009 to April 2010, the number of WVCC schools grew by 65 percent. This growth indicates our state’s schools value their communities and their commitment is deep and strong. Evidence of that commitment is that WVCC schools service to communities last year is valued at $82 billion,” Noland said.

Schools recognized for their participation in the WVCC Martin Luther King Day Service Mini-Grant program were Bluefield State College, Concord University, Marshall University, Potomac State College, WV Northern Community College, West Virginia University and WVU-Parkersburg. The program involved more than 400 student volunteers statewide.

Grants for the Global Youth Service Day weekend April 23-25 are enabling Bethany College, Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, Fairmont State University, Glenville State College, Marshall University, New River Community and Technical College-Raleigh County Campus, Potomac State College and Shepherd University to participate in the program. A projected 600 volunteers participated this past weekend. The grants were made possible with the generous support of State Farm Insurance and Youth Service America. Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world.

A Fairmont State University faculty member, Dr. Angela Schwer, professor of English at Fairmont State University, was recognized as a West Virginia nominee for the National Campus Compact Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award. She will be competing with faculty from across the country for the award that recognizes exemplary engaged scholarship, including leadership in advancing student’s civic learning, conducting community-based research, fostering reciprocal community partnerships, building institutional commitments to service-learning and civic engagement and other means of enhancing higher education’s contributions to the public good.

Franchesca Nestor, director of West Virginia Campus Compact, said, “The conference was an opportunity to share ideas and network statewide about community service and service learning.”

West Virginia Campus Compact is a statewide initiative of the WV Higher Education Policy Commission and hosted by WVU.

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CONTACT: Franchesca Nestor, West Virginia Campus Compact
304-293-7133, Franchesca.Nestor@mail.wvu.edu

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