Denita Badger at University of South Carolina Beaufort Is Named Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact

Campus Compact has honored 162 students from 32 states as 2012 Newman Civic Fellows. Among the honorees is Denita Badger of University of South Carolina Beaufort. The Newman Civic Fellows Awards recognize inspiring college student leaders who have worked to find solutions for challenges facing their communities.

Boston, MA - Campus Compact’s member college and university presidents from across the country have nominated 162 college student leaders for the 2012 class of Newman Civic Fellows. These students are demonstrating their personal commitment to creating lasting change for the better in their communities. Through service, community-based research, and through advocacy, the 2012 class of Newman Civic Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves and the root causes of some of the most pressing social issues that challenge us all.  

Denita Badger at University of South Carolina in Beaufort demonstrates the type of civic engagement that sets an example for others, shining a positive light in a time when negativity has dominated much national conversation. Denita Badger is a Human Services major at the University of South Carolina Beaufort.  By the end of this spring semester, Denita will have competed four Human Service internships  of over 120 hours each. She served two internships at the United Way of the Lowcountry. Another was coordinating a school readiness project, reading to pre-school students at Penn Center and coordinating early literacy services to 200 children. Her legacy service project is revising and updating the Human Services Directory for our region. Her commitment to civic engagement will continue after graduation when she joins the U.S. Air Force.

As a Newman Civic Fellow, Badger will join a network of Fellows around the country. Together — sharing ideas and tools through online networking — the Fellows will leverage an even greater capacity for service and change, and continue to set examples for their classmates and others. 

“These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. They serve as national examples of the role that higher education can—and does—play in building a better world,” notes Campus Compact Board Chair James B. Dworkin, chancellor at Purdue University North Central.  

Through service-learning courses and other opportunities for community engagement, colleges are developing students’ public problem-solving skills, such as the ability to analyze community needs, the willingness to participate in public processes and debate, the commitment to raise awareness about challenges, and the ability to inspire others to become part of solutions.

“Dr. Frank Newman, a founder of Campus Compact, had a tremendous impact on American education and its role in the development of citizens who are eager and prepared to make a difference,” explains Campus Compact President Maureen Curley. “He dedicated his life to creating systemic change through education reform and this new group of Newman Civic Fellows would have inspired him. They are reflections and affirmations of his life’s work.”

Campus Compact is a national coalition of almost 1,200 college and university presidents—representing some 6 million+ students—who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education, that is, to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. For more information about the organization and the award, visit www.compact.org