Students, Faculty, and Community Partners Honored for Community Engagement

Barry University recently honored three students, four faculty members, and four community partners for their participation and achievements in various areas of community engagement. The Department of Communication in the College of Arts and Sciences received the Engaged Department Award.

Naif Alkhathran, Jasmine McKee, and Paola Montenegro received the Community Impact Award from Dr. Scott Smith, vice president for student affairs. The award is in recognition of their exemplary community engagement primarily through direct service and advocacy.

Dr. Stephanie Bingham, an associate professor of biology, and Dr. Marc Lavallee, an assistant professor of practical theology, received the Community Engagement Educator Award for significant contributions to the enhancement of community engagement at Barry. Dr. Jill Farrell, dean of the Adrian Dominican School of Education, presented the award plaques.

In the category of engaged scholarship, Dr. Adam Dean, an associate professor of communication, received the award for significant scholarly work across the faculty roles of teaching, research, and service that addresses community issues. Dr. Karen Callaghan, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and associate vice president for undergraduate studies, presented the award.

The Service-Learning Faculty Award went to Dr. Pamela Hall, an associate professor of psychology, for demonstrating excellence in using service-learning as a teaching and learning strategy. Making the presentation was Susan Rosenthal, a member of Barry’s executive committee.

The recipients of awards in the Community Partnership category were Gang Alternative, Miami Beach Community Church, Urban GreenWorks, and William H. Turner Technical Arts High School. Dr. John McFadden, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, presented the award plaques.

Accepting plaques on behalf of their respective organizations were Ezra Dieuveille, Gang Alternative’s BLOC (Building Leaders of Character) program coordinator; Rev. Hunter Thompson, pastor of Miami Beach Community Church; Roger Horne, director of community health initiatives, and Anita Francetti, the Cerasee Farm manager at Urban GreenWorks; and Velma Eason, a senior teacher at Turner Tech.

Above: Dr. John McFadden, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, presented Community Partnership Award plaques to (from left) Rev. Hunter Thompson, pastor of Miami Beach Community Church; Velma Eason, a senior teacher at Turner Tech; Ezra Dieuveille, Gang Alternative’s BLOC (Building Leaders of Character) program coordinator; and Anita Francetti, farm manager, and Roger Horne, director of community health initiatives, at Urban GreenWorks.

Below: Provost John D. Murray (right) presented the Engaged Department Award to (from left) Mahen Saverimuttu, an assistant professor; and Drs. Nickesia Gordon, Margaret Chojnacki, and Adam Dean, associate professors of communication.

Barry Provost Dr. John Murray presented the Engaged Department Award, which is emblematic of achievements in advancing the community engagement goals of the University, educating students for civic and social responsibility, and improving community life. Accepting the award on behalf of the Department of Communication were Drs. Margaret Chojnacki, Adam Dean, and Nickesia Gordon, associate professors, and Mahen Saverimuttu, an assistant professor.

Dr. Vicente Berdayes, professor of communication, is chair of the department.

In addition, Amanda Knight, assistant director of athletics, was presented with a Service Award. Dr. Glenn Bowen, executive director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI), thanked Knight for her outstanding service.

The CCSI hosted the fourth annual Community Engagement Awards, described as “a celebration of community-engaged learning, teaching, service, and scholarship.”

Dr. Patrick M. Green, director of the Center for Experiential Learning at Loyola University Chicago, was the guest speaker at the event. He spoke about the importance of learning and doing, as exemplified by the award winners, each of whom he called a “model of community engagement.”