Campus Compact is pleased to announce that Jennifer Cowley, Ph.D., president of the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), has been awarded Campus Compact’s Richard Guarasci Award for Presidential Leadership. The award recognizes presidents and chancellors from four-year or graduate institutions who have exemplified a deep and sustained commitment to civic and community engagement throughout their careers.
Cowley is recognized for creating meaningful impact across her career, and most recently on the communities of North Texas through the University of Texas at Arlington’s strategic plan, UTA 2030: Shared Dreams, Bright Future. The implementation of this plan has led to initiatives that support the development of students as engaged citizens and grows the positive impact the university has on the surrounding communities.
As part of its mission to address the social and economic inequalities in access to education across the region, the university launched Blaze Forward, a program that supports students from families with household incomes of less than $85,000 to attend UTA at no cost. These examples illustrate the comprehensive commitment to expanding UTA’s impact and to serve as a transformative agent of change in partnership with the communities around us.
“Upon my arrival [at UTA] I recognized there was much good work happening across our campus, yet there was a tremendous opportunity to deepen our engagement with the communities across the Dallas-Fort Worth region,” said Cowley in a statement reflecting on her nomination for this award. "My commitment to community engagement started well before my time as President—it has been a career-long commitment. As a city planning faculty member, I dedicated my teaching to focus on service-learning, ensuring that both I and my students were creating community impact."
“President Cowley exemplifies how to bridge the gap between academia and public service,” said Jim Ross, Mayor of Arlington, in a letter supporting Crowley’s nomination for the award. “She consistently works to transform UT Arlington into a hub of civic responsibility and community involvement as a core value and actively fosters meaningful partnerships that benefit her students and the surrounding community.”
“The resounding impact President Crowley has had throughout her career clearly demonstrates the myriad ways that dedicated, focused leadership can improve campus and community life and build a better future for us all,” said Bobbie Laur, president of Campus Compact. “President Crowley is an exemplar in her field and we are honored to recognize her with this award.”
The Richard Guarasci Award for Presidential Leadership is presented as part of Campus Compact's Impact Awards, which recognize shining examples of meaningful, impactful higher education civic and community engagement work. Read more about the other awards and this year's recipients here.
The recipients of these awards will be recognized at Compact25, Campus Compact’s annual conference, which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia from March 31st - April 2nd, 2025.