University of Central Arkansas student Morgan Sweere has been named to the 2017 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.
Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, recently announced the 273 students who will make up the organization’s 2017 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.
Sweere, a Conway native, was nominated for the recognition by UCA President Houston Davis.
“Morgan’s commitment to servant leadership and social justice is clear from her decade of experience leading a tutoring program, her work as an EMT and Red Cross volunteer, and her innovative service thesis project focused on disaster preparedness,” Davis stated in his nomination. “As a Presidential Fellow, she represents the university in collaborations with community leaders, and as a UCA Ambassador and an Honors College Ambassador, she is many students’ first glimpse into what a UCA student can be.”
In addition to being a President’s Leadership Fellow and serving as Ambassadors President, Sweere is also a member of the Big Event Committee, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Association of Future Alumni, Greek Judicial Board and LEAD Team. She also serves as chemistry tutor/teaching assistant and Panhellenic Counselor.
“These opportunities have given me the skills to become confident, assertive and a leader I never thought I could be before college, which have all prepared me not only for this honor but for my future career and medical school,” Sweere said. “I would like to thank President Davis for seeing something in me that I maybe didn’t even see in myself. It is really such an honor to have been selected for this.”
Sweere worked with Dr. Lesley Graybeal, UCA service-learning program coordinator, to complete the application packet.
“I feel like this is an opportunity for me to be a role model to other students on this campus of what they can accomplish with the numerous opportunities UCA offers,” said Sweere.
Sweere is a biology major with a minor in honors interdisciplinary studies and family and consumer sciences. She will graduate in 2018 and plans to become a physician.
As a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, Sweere will be a part of the first cohort to benefit from a completely redesigned fellowship. The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The fellowship also provides fellows with access to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
“The cultivation of community-committed leaders has never been more crucial,” said Campus Compact president Andrew Seligsohn. “We rebuilt the Newman Civic Fellowship experience because our country needs more people who know how to bring communities together for positive change. We are thrilled to welcome this group of 273 exemplary students as the first cohort to participate in this new model.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation.
About Campus Compact:
Campus Compact is a nonprofit coalition of more than 1000 colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. As the only national association dedicated to this mission, Campus Compact is a leader in building community engagement into campus and academic life. For more information, visit www.compact.org and follow @Campus_Compact on Twitter.
