Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education, announces this year’s recipients of Campus Compact's Impact Awards:
The Nadinne Cruz Community Engagement Professional Award, the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award, the Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement, the Richard Guarasci Award for Presidential Leadership, the Eduardo J. Padrón Award for Presidential Leadership, the Student Leadership Awards, the Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Awards, and the Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnerships Awards.
These awards recognize the outstanding work of individuals and institutions in pursuit of the public purposes of higher education.
“We are proud to celebrate the individuals and institutions that work hard every day to make our communities healthier, happier, and more resilient,” said Campus Compact President Bobbie Laur. “Each awardee’s unique approach—through scholarship, teaching, institutional action, and deep engagement with communities—illustrates how higher education can partner with communities and contribute to a just, equitable, and sustainable tomorrow.”
The recipients of these awards will be recognized at Compact26, Campus Compact’s annual conference, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from March 16th-18th, 2026.
Nadinne Cruz Community Engagement Professional Award
The Nadinne Cruz Community Engagement Professional Award celebrates the ethical leadership and advocacy demonstrated by Community Engagement Professionals. Recipients have demonstrated collaboration with communities focused on transformative change; a commitment to justice-oriented work; and an impact on the larger movement to build ethical and effective community engagement locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
This year’s recipient of the Nadinne Cruz Community Engagement Award is Renee Miller Zientek
Miller Zientek is recognized for her work as a community engagement leader committed to advancing equitable, community-engaged learning and civic participation. As Executive Director of the Center for Community Engaged Learning at Michigan State University and Co-Director of MSUvote, she strengthens reciprocal partnerships and expands opportunities for students to contribute to community priorities and democratic life. Throughout her career, she has championed collaborative practices that elevate community expertise and support students in becoming engaged, responsible changemakers. Read more about Miller Zientek →
Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement and the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award
The Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement and the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award recognize early career and senior faculty, respectively, who practice exemplary engaged scholarship through teaching and research. The awards are presented in partnership with Brown University’s Swearer Center for Public Service. Recipients are selected on the basis of their collaboration with communities, institutional impact, and high-quality academic work.
This year’s recipient of the Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement is Dr. Martha Carvour
Carvour is recognized for her research focusing on improving health systems, building collaborations between academic centers and local communities, and reducing health disparities. She works closely with many student leaders, including students in the undergraduate, MPH, MS, MD, and PhD programs. She also serves as an associate director for the University of Iowa's Medical Scientist Training Program and the inaugural vice chair for Quality and Safety for the Department of Internal Medicine. Read more about Dr. Carvour →
This year’s recipient of the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award is Dr. Julie Grossman
Grossman is recognized for her work in the Department of Horticultural Science, where her research explores plant-soil-microbe relationships in organic agriculture. In her role as Associate Dean, she provides collaborative leadership for initiatives that support and enhance the undergraduate experience within CFANS, including admissions, recruitment, international programs, and development of innovative programs that promote student engagement and create a welcoming and inclusive undergraduate community. She has received the Outstanding Mentor Award from the Soil Science Society of America, the Organic Achievement Award from the Agronomy Society of America and has been a Fulbright Scholar in Mexico and Colombia. Read more about Dr. Grossman →
Richard Guarasci and Eduardo J. Padrón Awards for Presidential Leadership
The Richard Guarasci Award for Presidential Leadership and the Eduardo J. Padrón Award for Presidential Leadership recognize presidents or chancellors from four-year institutions and community colleges, respectively, who have exemplified a deep and sustained commitment to civic and community engagement throughout their careers. Their leadership drives institutional transformation through comprehensive campus-wide efforts aligned with Campus Compact’s vision of a world in which all of higher education commits to advancing an equitable, accessible, and just democracy, where colleges and universities serve as responsive and transformative agents of change and join as true partners with communities in contributing to our collective flourishing.
This year’s recipient of the Richard Guarasci Award for Presidential Leadership is Dr. Mary K. Grant
Grant is recognized for her leadership in public higher education with more than 30 years of experience. She currently serves as President of Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt)—the nation’s only independent public college of art and design—where she brings a clear vision, deep care, and a lifelong belief in the power of creativity and education.
A dedicated advocate for public colleges and universities, Grant has also led the University of North Carolina Asheville as Chancellor and served for thirteen years as President of her alma mater, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), advancing civic learning, student success, and institutional growth. She also served as President and CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and as Senior Administrative Fellow for Civics and Social Justice, leading the Martin Richard Institute at Bridgewater State University. Additionally, she has also served as the chair of the Campus Compact board of directors. Read more about Dr. Grant →
This year’s recipient of the Eduardo J. Padrón Award for Presidential Leadership is Dr. Julie White
White is recognized for her deep commitment to equity, student success, and institutional transformation. She has served at a variety of institutions, including community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and research universities with roles in teaching, student services, academic administration, research administration, health education, and women's services.
She joined Pierce College in 2019 as President of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. She became District Chancellor in January of 2023. She has been a Presidents Fellow and a Rising Presidents Fellow with the Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program. A first-generation student from a rural community, she is passionate about the role of community colleges in creating healthy, equitable, and thriving communities. Read more about Dr. White →
Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Awards
Campus Compact’s Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Award recognizes the many forms that effective on-campus civic and community engagement can take to address areas of need and make deep and long-lasting positive change. This year's recipients are:
Mapping Prejudice (University of Minnesota - Twin Cities), Scholarship in Action (College of the Holy Cross), Teaching East Asia through Picture Books (University of Colorado Boulder), St. Louis Fellows Program (Washington University in St. Louis), and sparc! the ArtMobile (Massachusetts College of Art and Design).
Whether it be through signature events, outreach or awareness campaigns, curricula or workshops, storytelling, or fellowship programs, the programs that receive this award demonstrate a breadth and depth of impact in critical areas—such as civic learning, democratic engagement, leadership and faculty development, assessment, or dialogue, deliberation, and bridge-building. Read more about the winners →
Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnerships Awards
Campus Compact’s Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnerships Award recognizes outstanding programs and initiatives that demonstrate meaningful partnership with communities to address complex social issues and further equity, justice, and prosperity for all. This year's recipients are:
AHIVOY and Chemeketa Community College: Partnering to Provide Education, Opportunity, and Empowerment for Those Who Work the Vines in Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley (Chemeketa Community College), OSU-Puerto Rico Community Resilience Study Abroad Project (Oregon State University), University of Rochester-East Educational Partnership Organization (University of Rochester), CARE in Action: Collaborative Approaches to Health Equity in New Haven (Southern Connecticut State University), and Inclusive Research at the Kansas University Center on Disabilities (University of Kansas).
Programs that receive the award exemplify the core principles of effective civic and community engagement—reciprocity, collaboration, transdisciplinarity, and sustainability—and address specific social issues, such as public health, violence prevention, economic development, K-12 education, climate change, or houselessness. Read more about the winners →
Student Leadership Awards
Campus Compact’s Student Leadership Award recognizes undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate inspiring leadership qualities through civic and community engagement. This year's recipients are:
Rishika Kartik (Brown University), Roberto Garcia (Michigan State University), Hilary Ramirez Payamps (Miami Dade College), Mykala Bledsoe (The George Washington University).
Students who receive the award are leading change on their campuses and in their communities and inspiring their peers to do the same. Recipients may be serving in leadership roles on their campus, creating impactful programs in their communities, or collaborating with faculty on community-based research. Read more about the winners →
For eligibility criteria, past recipients, and other details about the Campus Compact Impact Awards, see www.compact.org/impact-awards.