Campus Compact is pleased to announce that five campus-community initiatives have been awarded Campus Compact's Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnerships Award: 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 recognized exemplify the core principles of effective civic and community engagement—reciprocity, collaboration, transdisciplinarity, and sustainability—and address specific social issues affecting communities, such as public health, violence prevention, economic development, K-12 education, climate change, or houselessness.
“It is our pleasure to recognize these outstanding community-campus partnerships as the winners of the Campus Compact Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnership Awards,” said Bobbie Laur, Campus Compact president. “Each partnership is grounded in a shared commitment to addressing complex issues by prioritizing reciprocation and sharing of knowledge and resources — ultimately creating a better community for all. The people behind these collaborative initiatives exemplify the very best of higher education community and civic engagement.”
The 2026 Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnerships Award Winners include:
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)
Team members: Vivi Caleffi Prichard, Bryan Berenguer, and Paul Davis from Chemeketa Community College, with Elena Rodriguez and Miguel Lopez from AHIVOY
Chemeketa Community College's Vineyard Steward program, a beacon of hope born from a powerful partnership with Asociación Hispana de la Industria del Vino en Oregon y Comunidad (AHIVOY), is transforming lives and strengthening the very fabric of Oregon's wine ecosystem. This isn't just an academic initiative; it's a movement to empower vineyard stewards, predominantly Latino/a/x/e and migrant laborers, and elevate their crucial role within our community.
Developed hand-in-hand with AHIVOY, a community-based organization whose mission is to strengthen the Oregon wine community by empowering vineyard stewards through education, this program leverages stewards’ decades of practical experience to build deeper academic understanding, offering two core classes that illuminate the interwoven world of vineyard operations, winemaking, marketing, and business.
Beyond the classroom, this program is forging systemic change and building a lasting legacy for Spanish-speaking vineyard stewards. With AHIVOY, employers cover lost wages and program tuition, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to their employees' growth. From translated registration forms to a curriculum thoughtfully adapted over the years – including a shift to Spanish instruction and flexible scheduling around harvest – every detail ensures that students feel seen, supported, and celebrated.
“We have seen a remarkable increase in confidence, with employers reporting that participants are more vocal, collaborative, and eager to take on leadership roles,” said Miguel Lopez, chairman of the board and co-founder of AHIVOY, in a letter supporting the partnership’s nomination for the award. “This is a model that I hope will be adopted by colleges across the nation to provide opportunities to our invisible but invaluable workforce.”
OSU-Puerto Rico Community Resilience Study Abroad Project (Oregon State University)
Team Members: Rachel Jones, Wanda Crannell, and Doris Cancel-Tirado from Oregon State University, with Melisa Rivera-Cuevas from Asociacion No Vidente Luz de Amor, Grizelle Gonzalez from the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, and Jimena Anguiano Cisneros and Sofia Uribe-Zapien from MANRRS OSU Chapter
The Oregon State University Puerto Rico Service-Learning Study Abroad program is a multi-year initiative that connects undergraduate students with Puerto Rican community organizations to address local priorities in ecological restoration, sustainable agriculture, and environmental education. Designed as a faculty-led, interdisciplinary collaboration, the program emphasizes equity and access by recruiting first-generation, low-income, and Spanish-speaking students, many of whom are from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
Through immersive projects such as mangrove restoration, community garden construction, water quality monitoring, and health education, students serve as cultural and linguistic bridges, while gaining hands-on experience in leadership, cross-cultural communication, and civic engagement. Sustained through long-term relationships, annual reflection, and shared governance, the program is expanding to include additional disciplines and reciprocal exchange opportunities, positioning itself as a national model for inclusive, community-engaged global learning.
"In late March 2025, we had the opportunity to partner with the OSU team to build a sensory community garden for our participants. One of the most impactful moments of the day was witnessing the empathy and commitment of the OSU students as they engaged with our participants," said Melisa Rivera-Cuevas, Director of Asociación No Vidente Luz de Amor, in a letter supporting the partnership’s nomination for the award. "Programs like this foster meaningful connections, promote cultural understanding, and demonstrate the powerful outcomes of university-community partnerships grounded in respect and service."
University of Rochester-East Educational Partnership Organization (University of Rochester)
Team Members: Shaun Nelms, Sarah Mangelsdorf, and Steve Uebbing from the University of Rochester, with Judge Van White, Former President of the Rochester City School District Board of Education
The University of Rochester–East Educational Partnership Organization (EPO) embodies the power of reciprocal, community-engaged partnership to advance educational equity and social transformation. Formed in 2015 among the University of Rochester, the Rochester City School District (RCSD), and the New York State Education Department, the EPO was created to prevent the closure of East High School, then the lowest-performing and most persistently struggling school in New York State.
Guided by principles of collaboration, sustainability, and shared leadership, the University’s Warner School of Education and the East community co-designed a comprehensive plan focused on high-quality teaching, culturally responsive curriculum, and social-emotional well-being. This transdisciplinary approach engages more than 15 University schools and departments, uniting education, health, and workforce development to create holistic pathways for students and families.
Together, the University and East exemplify a long-term partnership grounded in people with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and voices (often from the margins) working towards educational inequity, fostering justice, prosperity, and hope for Rochester’s young people and their families.
"I have witnessed firsthand the transformation this partnership made possible. It stands among the most consequential and ethical examples of university–public school collaboration in the nation," said Marlene Blocker, Former Superintendent of East High School and Chief of Innovation & School Reform for the Rochester City School District, in a letter supporting the partnership’s nomination for the award. "In deep partnership with families, educators, scholars, and community stakeholders, this initiative was guided by a simple but profound belief: with sustained, high-quality teaching, culturally responsive curricula, and robust social-emotional support, every scholar can succeed. This was not a short-term intervention but a fully embedded collaborative redesign effort."
CARE in Action: Collaborative Approaches to Health Equity in New Haven (Southern Connecticut State University)
Team Members: Alycia Santilli, Ayeisha C. Cole, and Sandra Bulmer, PhD from Southern Connecticut State University, with Jeannette Ickovics, PhD and Kathleen O’Connor Duffany, PhD from Yale University
Based at the College of Health and Human Services at Southern Connecticut State University in partnership with the Yale School of Public Health and the New Haven community, the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) is a community-engaged center dedicated to advancing health equity in New Haven, Connecticut. CARE works to improve health among residents most affected by inequities – particularly Black and Brown communities and low-income populations.
CARE carries out its mission through two major initiatives. The Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, implements policy, systems, and environmental changes that promote chronic disease prevention and address issues like food insecurity, healthy food access, breastfeeding, and active transportation. The CARE Health Leadership Programs train residents to become leaders and partners in shaping local health initiatives and research. With nearly two decades of trusted collaboration, CARE continues to build sustainable, community-driven solutions that move New Haven closer to health equity for all.
"For nearly two decades, CARE has exemplified exceptional dedication to advancing the health and well-being of our community," said Justin Elicker, Mayor of New Haven in a letter supporting the partnership’s nomination for the award. "These partnerships represent the importance of community and academic collaboration — as we strive toward a goal of improving the lives of all residents of New Haven, particularly those who are most impacted by inequalities."
Inclusive Research at the Kansas University Center on Disabilities (University of Kansas)
Team Members: Karrie Shogren and Brad Linnenkamp from the University of Kansas, with Phillip McGruder from Self-Advocacy Coalition of Kansas (SACK)
The Kansas University Center on Disabilities (KUCD) is an innovative community-engaged disability research center at the University of Kansas. All of their research projects and contracts embed a focus on partnering with the disability community in co-developing critical research directions, co-establishing accessible and inclusive research approaches, and co-disseminating findings in plain language for immediate adoption in the disability community and the systems that support them. KUCD currently operates over 40 federal grants or state contracts to advance meaningful outcomes in education, employment, and community and family support for people with disabilities aligned with our mission to strengthen communities so that everyone can learn, work, feel included, and thrive.
Their approach to inclusive, community-engaged research seeks to (a) build employment pathways for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on research teams at KUCD and beyond and (b) engage the broader disability community in all parts of our research activities and outcomes. Foundational to their approach has been a strong and longstanding, community-engaged partnership with the Self-Advocacy Coalition of Kansas (SACK). SACK is a statewide advocacy organization led by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Kansas that brings together and empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to speak up for their rights. SACK is an essential partner in the work at KUCD.
"Most research centers about intellectual and developmental disabilities decide what’s important, do their studies, and then just tell people with disabilities the results — without asking us what matters or how we want information shared. KUCD is different," said members of SACK in a co-signed letter supporting the partnership’s nomination for the award. "KUCD partners with us in ways that make a bigger impact than either of us could make alone. We are excited for what’s next and know that KUCD will continue to support, elevate, and work alongside us to advance equity and justice for the disability community."
The Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnerships Award is presented as part of Campus Compact's Impact Awards, which recognize shining examples of meaningful, impactful 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 Compact26, Campus Compact’s annual conference, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from March 16th-18th, 2026.