Menu
Community Engagement Database
The Community Engagement Database is LIVE and available year round to input any and all community engagement efforts. Please be sure to indicate the academic year your project is taking/or has taken place. (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017 for 16-17 projects). To access the community engagement database click here.
Veridian and Koob Recipients Recognized
We are excited to announce that 6 faculty and 5 students have received awards for their community engagement work in the fall 2016 semester. These awards include the 2016-2017 Veridian Fellowship for Faculty Community Engagement as well as the Spring 2017 recipients for the Koob Fund for Student Community Engagement.
The Veridan Fellowship is awarded to faculty whose work is the combination of meeting a community need through teaching and/or scholarship. This year we are excited to announce that five projects were chosen to receive this prestigious fellowship! The six fellowship recipients are as follows
Nichole Zumbach Harken- $500 for her project Creating Community Connections: Cornerstone Tells the Story. Dr. Zumbach will be working with Silos and Smoke Stacks National Heritage Area.
Wendy Miller- $500 for her project The Giving Back Hope Commemorative Art Project. Dr. Miller will be working with the House of Hope.
Jeremy Schraffenberger- $1,000 for his project Voices of Black Hawk County: People and the Land. Dr. Schraffenberger will be working with the Black Hawk County and Conservation Board.
Elizabeth Sutton- $1,5000 for her project Creative Resilience: Empowering Young Adults with Art Histories. Dr. Sutton will be working with Achieving Maximum Potential (AMP).
Mandy Masmar & Mitra Sadeghpour - $2000 for their project Exploring the Arts Afterschool Programming- Salvation Army Activity Center.
The Koob Fund for Student Community Engagement is awarded to students completing internships at a nonprofit or government agency in the state of Iowa. In order to be eligible for the Koob Fund, students had to be responsible for a substantial project that would benefit the student, organization, and community with a lasting impact. The recipients of this scholarship will be completing their internships in Spring 2017. The recipients are as follows:
Morgan Holzer- Center of Violence Prevention-UNI
Vanessa McNeal- Allen Women’s Health: Together for Youth
Millica Njezic- The Grout Museum District
Brenna Oberbreckling- Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley
Maria Jose Rosado Cupul- Black Hawk County Health Department
Congratulations and best wishes in the new year to the outstanding recipients!
UNI Earns Presidential Honor for Community Service
The University of Northern Iowa is the winner of the Economic Opportunity Award for the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Economic Opportunity Award recognizes institutions with service programs that build economic independence, increase family stability, and create more sustainable and resilient communities.
Since 1997, the University of Northern Iowa’s Local Food Program has promoted economic opportunity and strengthened the local food economy in Northeast Iowa. In 2013-2014 alone, 17 institutional food buyers purchased nearly $3 million in local foods supporting the region’s food and farm business.
“Service and higher education go hand in hand,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Every day these colleges and universities inspire young leaders to commit to solving problems alongside community members. By recognizing institutions like the University of Northern Iowa that are pioneers in achieving meaningful, measurable results for their communities, we also highlight the critical role all higher education institutions play in addressing community challenges and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement.”
UNI Receives 2016 MLK Day of Service Grant
The University of Northern Iowa is one of 40 colleges and universities across the U.S. The University of Northern Iowa is one of 40 colleges and universities across the U.S. awarded a grant as part of the MLK Day of Service Community Partnership Project. The grant will be used toward the Martin Luther King, Jr. day of service organized by the UNI Service and Leadership Council each January. UNI students, faculty and staff volunteer on MLK Day to package meals for the Northeast Iowa Food Bank.
More than 60 institutions applied for the grants, which were awarded by Iowa Campus Compact (IACC). IACC is an Iowan association of college and university presidents providing leadership for the civic mission of higher education. The MLK Day of Service Community Partnership Project provides funding for service projects that work toward alleviating hunger and supporting veterans.