FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington is proud to announce that the UMF Partnership for Civic Advancement will be honored by the Maine Campus Compact with the President’s Leadership Award at a ceremony in the State House Hall of Flags in Augusta from 10 a.m. to noon, on April 30, 2014.
UMF’s Partnership for Civic Advancement is an initiative that was launched in 2011 to engage students in internships and other meaningful community-based activities. These activities are designed in collaboration with the western Maine community to address community needs and economic and community development priorities, while also achieving specific learning objectives of the students.
“In the two short years that the Partnership for Civic Advancement has been active, it has made a significant difference to individual students, community organizations and to the fabric of UMF,” said Kathryn A. Foster, UMF president. “The first of its kind in the University of Maine System, it shows how students can provide valuable service throughout the community while gaining professional experience and confidence in the field.”
Established in 1994 and hosted at Bates College, Maine Campus Compact (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.
Every other year, each member president may select a campus department or program to be recognized with this award for its exceptional contributions to community service, service learning, and/or civic engagement efforts on their campus. The recipients of these bi-annual President’s Leadership awards demonstrate the use of service as an integral part of the college experience for students, create innovative approaches to campus-based efforts to address community issues, integrate these strategies into their institutional structure, and deeply impact both their campus and the surrounding community.
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.
