Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has announced the 262 students who will make up the organization’s 2019-2020 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows, including the University of Maine at Augusta’s own Sarah Nichols.
Sarah Nichols, a UMA Biology major, distinguished herself through her leadership and efforts to engage non-traditional and international students in campus activities, as well as developing collaborative events with other campus clubs and community organizations. She is the President of the French Club and one of the earliest members of the Capital Area New Mainers Project (CANMP), which welcomes immigrants and refugees to Central Maine.
A young mother and non-traditional student, she is currently working on projects to improve policy and supports for non-traditional students in higher education.
“It was my honor to nominate Sarah as a Newman Civic Fellow,” stated UMA President Rebecca Wyke. “She is a model of civic-mindedness, supporting students and community members who face barriers to success. At UMA, our mission is to transform students’ lives of every age and background across the state,” she continued. “It is clear that our students, like Sarah, are also committed to not only changing their own lives, but also the lives of their fellow students and community members.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional, and civic growth for students who have demonstrated a capacity for leadership and an investment in solving public problems. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The fellowship also provides fellows with access to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
It is clear that our students, like Sarah, are also committed to not only changing their own lives, but also the lives of their fellow students and community members.
“We are proud to recognize each of these extraordinary student leaders and thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with them,” said Campus Compact President Andrew Seligsohn. “The stories of this year’s Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are committed to finding solutions to pressing problems in their communities and beyond. That is what Campus Compact is about, and it’s what our country and our world desperately need.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation. Learn more at compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship.
About Campus Compact
Campus Compact is a national coalition of 1000+ colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. Campus Compact supports institutions in fulfilling their public purposes by deepening their ability to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. As the largest national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, we provide professional development to administrators and faculty to enable them to engage effectively, facilitate national partnerships connecting campuses with key issues in their local communities, build pilot programs to test and refine promising models in engaged teaching and scholarship, celebrate and cultivate student civic leadership, and convene higher education institutions and partners beyond higher education to share knowledge and develop collective capacity. Visit www.compact.org.