On April 14, West Virginia University’s Center for Service and Learning granted the Excellence in Civic Engagement Award to two Mountaineers and one local organization. The award recognizes those who exemplify a steadfast commitment to service.

Andrew Sutherland received the award for Student Excellence; Dr. Marlon Knights received the award for Faculty Excellence; and Christian Help, Inc. received the award for Community Partner Excellence.

“This year, we have seen an increase in faculty who use service learning as a tool in the classroom as well as many new student-driven projects that are making an impact,” says Kristi Wood-Turner, director of the CS&L. “The recipients of the Excellence in Civic Engagement award this year are forging paths and taking service to the next level.”

Andrew Sutherland was the WVU Student Government Association’s first Director of Community Service. In this role, he set a standard for supporting student-led engagement and building capacity for the community. Sutherland was involved with nearly every service initiative in the 2015-16 year, and provided leadership for many projects. Sutherland is graduating this May with a bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

Marlon Knights is an Associate Professor in Reproductive Physiology with the Division of Animal & Nutritional Sciences at WVU’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. He is recognized for his dedication to innovative teaching and learning strategies. Because of this innovation, students in his Animal Veterinary Science 251 course have completed nearly 5,200 hours of service since 2012. He supports his students’ service and helps them understand how their experiences contribute to the state’s overall economic development.

Christian Help has partnered with WVU to engage students for more than a decade. Each month at Christian Help, hundreds of students volunteer, work on service learning projects and engage with the organization’s members. In 2015, WVU volunteers contributed 17,300 hours of service work to the nonprofit. The staff, board and volunteers at Christian Help deliver non-denominational, accessible and impactful services to those who have the most need in our community—local individuals, children and families.

For more information about award recipients, to see highlights from this year’s Week of Engagement or to learn how to become involved, visit http://service.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

alm / 04/28/16

CONTACT: Alexis McMillen, Assistant Director, Center for Service and Learning
304.293.8344, Alexis.Mcmillen@mail.wvu.edu

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