Campus News

Great Falls College students honored for service, civic commitment

Falicia McGee

GREAT FALLS --  Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has named the student civic leaders from 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico who will make up the 2024-2025 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows. Ashley Haley, a student at Great Falls College, was named as a member of the cohort.

The Montana Student Volunteer Award is presented through a partnership between the Governor’s Office of Community Service and Montana Campus Compact campuses.  Honorees of this annual award are college students across the state who demonstrate dedication to service in their communities while pursuing a college degree or certificate. Falicia McGee is Great Falls College’s recipient of this prestigious honor.

 The Newman Civic Fellowship is a yearlong program that recognizes students who stand out for their leadership potential and commitment to creating positive change in communities. The fellowship is named for the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact’s founders, who was a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. In the spirit of Dr. Newman’s leadership, each fellow is nominated by their campus president or chancellor, who is invited to select one exemplary community-committed student from their campus each year.

 “As a proponent of equality and fairness, Ashley strives for more protection for Indigenous women and has demonstrated her support for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women at rallies in town,” said Dr. Stephanie Erdmann, CEO/dean of Great Falls College. “Ashley encourages American Indian students at Great Falls College to attain their degree and to receive a beaded eagle feather in honor of their accomplishments at a Native-led ceremony prior to commencement.”

Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides the Newman Civic Fellows with learning and networking opportunities that help to nurture their development as civic leaders. Programming emphasizes personal, professional, and civic growth that can empower them to collaborate effectively across disciplines and create large-scale positive change.

The cornerstone of the fellowship is the Annual Convening of Newman Civic Fellows, which offers intensive in-person skill-building and networking over three days. The fellowship also provides fellows with pathways to apply for exclusive opportunities, including mini-grants to help fund community projects, scholarships, and post-graduate opportunities.

 “We are honored to recognize such an outstanding group of community-committed students,” said Campus Compact President Bobbie Laur. “One of the best parts of the Newman Civic Fellowships is the richness of students’ perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds—and how these varied stories all led to their passionate engagement with the social, political, and environmental issues impacting our world. These students will be the catalysts for change on many levels, and we are privileged to help empower them to create that change.”

 The Newman Civic Fellowship is generously supported by The Allstate Foundation. Learn more at compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship. You can read more about each of the student leaders selected for this year’s cohort at compact.org/current-programs/newman-civic-fellowship/newman-civic-fellows.

 “Falicia exudes what it means to be an involved member of her community,” said Joshua Archey, director of the Office of Student Engagement at Great Falls College.

 McGee is student president of the Health Information Technology program cohort, a senator in the Associated Students of Great Falls College, leader of the campus chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and active student volunteer for many on-campus activities. She also organized a community warm clothing drive and hygiene drive for the Great Falls Rescue Mission’s Cameron Family Center.

“As busy as she keeps herself through being a full-time mom and successful student, she was recently awarded the national Phi Theta Kappa New Century Transfer scholarship award,” Archey said.

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Campus Compact is a national coalition of 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.

Contact:

Molly Leiper, Director of Communications

mleiper@compact.org

Nominations for the Montana Student Volunteer Awards open at the beginning of each fall semester and close in December.

 The Governor’s Office of Community Service expands and promotes national service and community volunteerism in Montana and engages citizens in service. For more information, please visit serve.mt.gov.