Two faculty members have received awards for community engagement this year. They are Sister Mary Frances Fleischaker, a faculty member in the Department of Theology and Philosophy, and Dr. Jalane Meloun, professor of administration in the Adrian Dominican School of Education.
Sister Mary Frances, a faculty member in the Department of Theology and Philosophy, received an award for demonstrating excellence in implementing service-learning as a curricular or pedagogical strategy. And Dr. Meloun received the Community Engagement Educator Award for significant contributions to the institutionalization or enhancement of community engagement at Barry.
The occasion was the university’s eighth annual Community Engagement Awards hosted by the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) as a virtual event on April 7.
Through her service-learning course, Sister Mary Fran’s students have learned the principles of social awareness and responsibility, empathy, and compassion, noted Dr. Victor Romano, associate provost for student success and undergraduate studies. Her students have described their experiences as “truly transformational,” he said.
Dr. Romano pointed out that Sister Mary Fran’s students come to recognize that “their voices and actions in support of vulnerable populations can make a difference.” Her students are “inspired and energized by her passion, and how much she lives out faith through action,” the associate provost added.
Community partners express admiration of Sister Mary Fran’s leadership by example. They say she models “the behavior of going out in the community and practicing ethical and justice values.”
Announcing that she is the winner of this year’s Service-Learning Faculty Award, Romano said the theology faculty member is “proof positive that service-learning is a powerful instrument for change and that one can make a difference in the lives of many.”
Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement
It is in the area of civic learning and democratic engagement that Dr. Meloun made her mark over the past few years. She won the Community Engagement Educator Award “for significant contributions to the institutionalization or enhancement of community engagement at Barry.”
The professor of administration played a major role in the Campus Democracy Project, contributing to Barry’s achievement of “Voter Friendly Campus” status this year. That designation came from two national nonpartisan organizations: Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.
In presenting the award, Dr. Stephanie Bingham, chair of the Community Engagement Awards Committee, said: “As a voter rights advocate, [Dr. Meloun] has exhibited passion and creativity in helping to shape an institutional culture that promotes democratic engagement, an elevated level of civil political discourse, and an energized campus community.”
Barry University President Dr. Mike Allen and Campus Compact President Dr. Andrew Seligsohn congratulated all winners of community engagement awards.
Community Engagement Awards 2021
AWARD WINNERS
Community Engagement Support
- Barry Premier Events Team—Conference and Event Services, Information Technology, Marketing
Community Impact
- Isaly Ortiz
- Dai’ Jonnai Smith
Community Partnership
- Bread for the World
Community Engagement Educator
- Dr. Jalane Meloun
Service-Learning Faculty
- Sister Mary Frances Fleischaker
Community Engagement (Engaged Department)
- Andreas School of Business