Campus Compact recognizes Georgia Southern University assistant director of service-learning

Campus Compact is pleased to announce that Urkovia Andrews, assistant director of service-learning at Georgia Southern University has been awarded Campus Compact’s Nadinne Cruz Community Engagement Professional Award. The 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.

The award is named in honor of Nadinne Cruz, an innovative leader of community-based experiential learning and a pioneer of the movement for the public purposes of higher education. The Nadinne Cruz Award celebrates the ethical leadership and advocacy demonstrated by Community Engagement Professionals.

Andrews is recognized for her impact on the Georgia Southern University campus, the Statesboro community, and Bulloch County through her work in service-learning and community engagement. Andrews’ dedication to service-learning is modeled in the students she prepares through Service-Learning Facilitators, a program in which students are trained to assist faculty by coordinating meaningful service-learning opportunities. In addition to her work with students, she founded the Institute for Community Partnerships, a program bringing nonprofit leaders together to learn, collaborate, and dialogue about community needs. By taking a multi-faceted approach and building powerful connections among the Georgia Southern community and local leaders, she has created a strategic, effective, and long-lasting coalition that works together to create positive change.

“Dr. Andrews’ influence spans dozens of campus and community-wide initiatives, local nonprofits, and countless students from more than a decade of teaching communication and leadership courses at Georgia Southern University,” said Shay Davis Little, vice president for student affairs at Georgia Southern University in a letter nominating Andrews for the award. “As a vital member of the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement and an active member of the Georgia Southern University and Statesboro, Georgia communities, Dr. Andrews invests a tremendous amount of time in the development of students, faculty members, and community partners, who all have an enormous sense of admiration and respect for her as a service-learning expert as well as a mentor, colleague, and supporter.”

Kent Koth, founding executive director of the Sundborg Center for Community Engagement at Seattle University, was also presented with the Cruz Award this year.

The Nadinne Cruz Community Engagement Professional Award is presented as part of Campus Compact’s Impact Awards, which recognize the outstanding work of individuals and institutions in pursuit of the public purposes of higher education. Read more about the other awards and this year’s recipients at compact.org/2022-impact-award-recipients.

The recipients of these awards will be recognized in March at Campus Compact’s upcoming Compact22 virtual conference.