Campus Compact is pleased to announce that five programs have been awarded Campus Compact's Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Award: 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). The 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.
Whether it be through signature events, outreach or awareness campaigns, curricula or workshops, storytelling, or fellowship programs, the programs recognized for 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.
“We are proud to recognize these programs as shining examples of the many forms that effective community engagement can take in order to address issues unique to a campus community,” said Bobbie Laur, Campus Compact president. “The programs honored with the Campus Compact Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Awards are leading the way in our field and showing how deep, long-lasting change is possible.”
Mapping Prejudice (University of Minnesota - Twin Cities)
Team members: Kirsten Delegard, Project Director, Mapping Prejudice, Rebecca Gillette, Associate Director-Community Engagement Lead, Mapping Prejudice, Michael Corey, Associate Director-Geospatial, Technical, and Data Lead, Mapping Prejudice, Penny Petersen, Property Records Specialist, Mapping Prejudice, Ryan Mattke, Co-Director, and Project Manager, Mapping Prejudice, Kelly Rogers, Communications Manager, Mapping Prejudice, Amelia Palacios, Communications Specialist, Mapping Prejudice, and Danya Leebaw, Director, Social Sciences Department
Mapping Prejudice began in 2016 with the question, how does structural racism get embedded in the built environment? How does it persist, despite years of legislative, policy, and cultural change? Based at the University of Minnesota Libraries, the project developed a methodology rooted in partnerships with county governments and community organizations. Community members mobilized to read and transcribe property deeds, enabling the digital mapping of racial restrictions, providing the data needed to drive change. It built new grassroots constituencies by broadening the political imaginations of participants.
This groundbreaking work inspired communities nationwide to investigate their own histories. Mapping Prejudice has since expanded to partner with groups in California, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, creating the world’s largest dataset of racial covenants. The project has reshaped scholarly research by engaging the public in uncovering urban history and structural racism. At the same time, it fosters a broader reckoning with these “unjust deeds,” encouraging systemic change. By making historical data accessible and participatory, Mapping Prejudice empowers communities to pursue data-driven, community-led efforts toward equity.
"Mapping Prejudice exemplifies the University’s deepest commitments to public scholarship, racial equity, and community engagement. Through innovative collaboration and sustained partnership, it has transformed public understanding of housing segregation in Minnesota and across the nation," said Laurie Van Egeren, Vice Provost for Public Engagement at the University of Minnesota, in a letter supporting the program’s nomination for the award. "The project stands as a national model for how rigorous scholarship and authentic partnership can together advance equity, repair, and understanding."
Scholarship in Action (College of the Holy Cross)
Team members: Dr. Isabelle Jenkins, Director, Donelan Office, Kya Roumimper Ascani, Associate Director, Donelan Office, and Mary Conley, Associate Professor, Department of History, Founding Director of Scholarship in Action
The Scholarship in Action (SIA) program at the College of the Holy Cross transforms community-engaged research through authentic partnerships between faculty, students, and Worcester community organizations. Originally funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and now sustained institutionally through the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning, Teaching, and Engaged Scholarship, SIA advances equity-centered, anti-racist scholarship that produces knowledge benefiting both local and global audiences.
Central to SIA's mission are three transformative tenets: building trust through respectful, reciprocal community relationships; encouraging "Worcester-first" research agendas that matter locally and globally; and integrating students as knowledge creators through immersive civic engagement.
The program's equity-centered approach ensures community partners co-author grant proposals, help determine research questions, and share in project outcomes. By centering community wisdom and fostering collaborative knowledge production, SIA exemplifies how higher education can authentically serve democratic engagement while preparing students for lives of purpose and social responsibility.
"SIA represents a transformational model for authentic town-gown collaboration that has fundamentally changed how our institution engages with our neighbors," said Sue Hunt, Director of Government and Community Relations at the College of the Holy Cross, in a letter supporting the program’s nomination for the award. "What distinguishes SIA from traditional academic outreach is its genuine commitment to community-driven priorities and truly reciprocal partnership. Rather than extractive research that primarily benefits the academy, SIA ensures that Worcester organizations are authentic collaborators from project inception, helping shape research questions, co-authoring grant proposals, and directly benefitting from project outcomes."
Teaching East Asia through Picture Books (University of Colorado Boulder)
Team members: Lynn Kalinauskas, Director, Teaching East Asia, Catherine Ishida, Assistant Director for Japan and Korea Projects, Teaching East Asia, and Christy Go, Graduate Student Assistant, Teaching East Asia
Teaching East Asia (TEA) through Picture Books is designed to meet documented priorities in elementary education - attention to knowledge and skill development in the natural sciences, geography, social studies, global competencies, and literacy – through classroom outreach that includes an interactive storytime, lesson plan, and activity.
Spanning three years to date (2024-2026), the program trains University of Colorado Boulder students as interns who developed research and teaching skills, commitment to global education, cultural diversity, and civic mindedness through service. Each CU student works on a picture book that focuses on a specific region of East Asia and a theme (natural sciences in 2024, geography in 2025, and biography in 2026). Mentored by staff from the Program for Teaching East Asia, the interns do research, develop a lesson and activity based on their book, and practice the needed skills to work with young students across Colorado.
Creating a better cross-cultural understanding can never begin too early. Bringing awareness of different cultures into K-12 classrooms helps to develop more inclusive societies as children begin to comprehend that they are part of a global citizenship that must strive for mutual understanding.
"The project is highly innovative and has real depth, with attention to selecting engaging picture books that illustrate natural sciences, geography, and biographies in Asia," said Rachel Rinaldo, Associate Professor of Sociology and Faculty Director, Center for Asian Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, in a letter supporting the program’s nomination for the award. "Recognizing the importance of fostering cross-cultural understanding among young people, TEA develops teachers’ expertise on Asian societies so that they can foster their students’ cross-cultural understanding."
St. Louis Fellows Program (Washington University in St. Louis)
Team members: Stephanie Kurtzman, Sam Babb, and Sarah Nash from the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
The St. Louis Fellows Program at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a selective opportunity for undergraduates to spend a summer immersing themselves in St. Louis. Students work full-time nonprofit or civic internships, attend a range of community events, and engage in a robust experiential curriculum that explores St. Louis’ history, culture, politics, challenges, and opportunities.
The program’s success relies on developing mutually beneficial campus-community partnerships that foster both student learning and community impact. Students learn skills in civic and community engagement, receive structured supervision and mentorship, engage with a cohort of peers with diverse identities and perspectives, receive a stipend in lieu of summer earnings, and earn four academic credits. Community partners expand their capacity to advance their mission-critical work through a full-time intern at no financial cost to them and a variety of networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration across organizations.
The program uplifts WashU’s commitment to be “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” and experiences high interest from students and community partners, fueling the Gephardt Institute’s plans for continued expansion.
"This program is an exemplary model of community partnership, student civic leadership, and regional impact," said Lisa Weingarth, Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Executive Director for the "In St. Louis, For St. Louis" Initiative, in a letter supporting the program’s nomination for the award. "The St. Louis Fellows Program is a true testament to collaboration and community partnership. It reflects the best of what higher education can do when it centers its local community, encourages authentic engagement, and invests in students and organizations."
sparc! the ArtMobile (Massachusetts College of Art and Design)
Team members: Ekua Holmes, Associate Director, Center for Art and Community Partnerships and Director, sparc! the ArtMobile, Isabelle Higgins, Program Manager, sparc! the ArtMobile, Ivy Wong, Office Manager and Program Coordinator, Center for Art and Community Partnerships, and Elena Belle White, Director, Center for Art and Community Partnerships
Since 2011, sparc! the ArtMobile—a program of the Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP) at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt)—has brought the power of art and design directly into Boston’s neighborhoods. Featuring our boldly painted and retrofitted van, sparc!’s mobility, visibility, and accessibility bring creativity to the street level, creating intergenerational spaces for learning, connection, and joy.
Powered by MassArt students and staff, sparc! partners with local artists, libraries, and community organizations to offer free, hands-on art programs that deepen communities’ engagement with the arts and respond to neighborhood needs for expression and connection. Every project is co-ideated and co-designed with community partners, guided by local insight, shaped by the people and places we encounter, and brought to life by MassArt students—ensuring relevance, accessibility, and shared ownership.
sparc! has traveled hundreds of miles, built thousands of relationships, and demonstrated how art, grounded in love and public purpose, serves as a powerful tool for civic engagement, neighborhood collaboration, and social connection.
"Now in its fourteenth year, sparc! continues to create programs, workshops, and annual events that have built a foundation of lasting, positive impact—from Boston’s neighborhoods to the broader MassArt community.," said Dr. Lyssa Palu-ay, Vice President, Civic and Community Engagement and Dean, Office of Justice, Equity, and Transformation at MassArt, in a letter supporting the program’s nomination for the award. "sparc! stands as a model of what authentic, creative, and inclusive community partnership can achieve."
The Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming 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.