Our Newsletters
The Office of Community Engagement sends out a regular newsletter to members of the ETSU community seeking to remain up to date with our latest stories, upcoming events, and opportunities to get involved. You can read through previous editions below.
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2025
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2024
Awards & Recognition
The Office of Community Engagement seeks to recognize and honor individuals and organizations demonstrating exemplary community engagement through service, teaching, advocacy, and collaborative partnership. The Outstanding Community Service Awards, as well as the Community-Engaged Learning Teaching Excellence Award and Mission Mover Award, are given to students, faculty, staff, and community partners that exemplify ETSU's commitment to Go Beyond the Classroom.
Students, faculty, staff, and community partners are invited to nominate deserving
individuals and organizations for consideration. In securing a nomination for any
of the campus community engagement awards, nominees will automatically be considered
for nomination for the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award. This statewide
recognition is administered by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to
current students, faculty, and staff members engaged in dedicated public service,
who thereby emulate the community-focused ethos of Representative Harold Love Sr.
Nominations for this award are evaluated on the documentation of their service contribution
and evidence of the success of their service in terms of improvement of communities
and leadership roles in the community.
Community Engagement - Internal Awards
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Outstanding Community Service Awards
ETSU is committed to improving the quality of life of the people of the region and beyond. Public service is core to ETSU’s mission and, as such, the University attracts faculty, staff, and students who share that passion. The ETSU Outstanding Community Service Award recognizes current students, and faculty and staff members who have demonstrated their desire to improve the lives of those in our community through dedicated public service, volunteerism, advocacy, and community engagement.
Each year, ETSU will select two individuals - one for the Faculty and Staff Outstanding Community Service Award, and one for Student Outstanding Community Service Award.
Faculty and staff, and student nominations will be evaluated on the documentation of their service contribution and evidence of the success of their service. The ETSU Community Engagement Committee Awards and Recognition Subcommittee will review applications and make award recommendations to the Provost.
Recipients of the ETSU Outstanding Community Service Award will receive a cash award in honor of their service. For the Faculty and Staff category the award is $2000; for the Student category it is $500.
Student Award
Nominate (Nominations Close December 8, 2025) Apply (Applications Close January 12, 2026)
Faculty/Staff Award
Nominate (Nominations Close December 8, 2025) Apply (Applications Close January 12, 2026)
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Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Teaching Excellence Award
The Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Teaching Excellence Award will recognize a faculty member or instructor with consistently superior teaching accomplishments in the CEL pedagogy. This will include, at a minimum, evidence of the following:
1. Incorporation of critical reflection as a high impact teaching practice in the CEL course(s)
2. Integration of processes and experiences that foster a mutually beneficial partnership with local agencies, promote student learning outcomes, and contribute to the well-being of the region
3. Course design that clearly links the course learning outcomes to student learning outcomes and the community engaged experience.
An eligible nominee must be a full-time faculty member as defined in Section 2 of the Faculty Handbook in service for at least three (3) full years at ETSU. Only teaching experiences at ETSU will be considered in making this award.The CEL teacher considered may be either undergraduate, graduate or both.
Nominations for the award may be submitted by academic colleagues, administrators, students, and community partners. By recognizing and honoring faculty and instructors who excel in CEL teaching, the award not only acknowledges their contributions but also serves as a model to inspire others to explore, actively integrate, and enhance CEL teaching at ETSU. Faculty and instructors may also be self-nominated.
A complete nomination packet includes the following elements.
1. Community-Engaged Learning Course List: Include a list of your CEL course sections. For each course section, include the course number and title, academic year and term, CRN, enrollment number, and course catalog description. (1 page max.)
2. Teaching Philosophy: Include a brief teaching philosophy, particularly emphasizing your approach to CEL and the integration of knowledge gained in instructional professional development. Your statement should address how you integrate critical reflection into your CEL teaching; how you develop, foster, and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with community partners; and how course learning outcomes are linked to student learning outcomes and the community engaged experience (2 pages max.)
3. Abbreviated CV: Include an abbreviated version of your CV. (2 pages max.)
4. Statements of Support: Submit two statements of support. One will be from internal stakeholders and may include your supervisors, colleagues, and/or students, which speak specifically to your effectiveness in CEL teaching. The other will be from a community partner who is included in at least one of your CEL courses (2 letters max.)
5. Evidence of Impact: Include at least one, and no more than three, pieces of supporting material that provide additional evidence of your impact and effectiveness in CEL teaching. The supporting materials may include an example of students’ work, SAIs, examples of student reflections, course artifacts (e.g., screenshots), media coverage of the CEL experience, and/or published scholarship recognized in your discipline and related to your instruction of CEL classes. (3 items max.)Nominate (Nominations Close December 8, 2025) Apply (Applications Close January 12, 2026)
Note: Upon nomination, nominees will receive notification of their nomination and an invitation to complete the formal award application and supporting documentation.
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Mission Mover Award
The Mission Mover Award is one of ETSU’s highest recognitions for our nonprofit partners. This award honors an organization that exemplifies excellence in advancing the mission of East Tennessee State University through outstanding dedication, innovation, and impact.
This award is reserved for community organizations that have built meaningful partnerships with ETSU - organizations that leverage shared resources, expertise, and collaboration to tackle critical challenges and uplift communities. Whether through research, education, outreach, or service, nominees for this award help drive ETSU’s mission of academic excellence, community engagement, and improving quality of life in our region and beyond.
Previous Winners
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2025
Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Teaching Award: Dr. Jennifer Axsom Adler
Faculty/Staff Outstanding Community Service Award: Karlota I. Contreras-Koterbay
Student Outstanding Community Service Award: Kyah Powers
Mission Mover Award: Hands On! Discovery Center
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Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award
2025:
- Dr. Felipe Fiuza (Faculty/Staff)
- Leah Loveday (Student)
- Natalie White (Student)
2024:
- Dr. Natalie Smith (Faculty/Staff)
- Dr. Opal Frye-Clark (Student)
2023:
- Joy Fulkerson (Faculty/Staff)
- Thalia Sullivan (Student)
2021:
- Dr. Sarah Melton (Faculty/Staff)
2020:
- Dr. Andrea Clements (Faculty/Staff)
2019:
- Dr. Michael Whitelaw (Faculty/Staff)
2018:
- Nathan Farnor (Student)
2016:
- Mahbubur Rahman (Student)
2014:
- Dr. Cynthia Chambers (Faculty/Staff)
Community Engagement - External Awards
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Campus Compact: Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement
The Ernest A. Lynton Award honors early-career, full-time faculty who integrate community engagement into their teaching, research, and service. It recognizes scholarly work that is collaborative, benefits the external community, and aligns with the institution's mission.
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Campus Compact: Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Award
Campus Compact’s Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Award honors impactful on-campus programs that address community needs and foster lasting positive change. Awarded initiatives may include events, campaigns, curricula, or fellowships, and are recognized for their meaningful contributions to civic learning, leadership, and democratic engagement.
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Campus Compact: Nadinne Cruz Community Engagement Professional Award
The Nadinne Cruz Community Engagement Professional Award honors professionals who show outstanding leadership in community engagement through collaborative, justice-focused work with broad impact. Named after a pioneer in community-based learning, the award celebrates ethical advocacy and transformative contributions to the field at all levels.
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Campus Compact: Richard Guarasci & Eduardo J. Padrón Awards for Presidential Leadership
The Richard Guarasci and Eduardo J. Padrón Awards for Presidential Leadership honor college and university presidents who have shown long-term dedication to civic and community engagement. These leaders are recognized for transforming their institutions into agents of equity and democracy, in alignment with Campus Compact’s mission to foster higher education’s public purpose.
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Campus Compact: Student Leadership Awards
Campus Compact’s Student Leadership Awards honor students who exhibit exceptional leadership in civic and community engagement, inspiring change on campuses and in their communities. Recipients may lead campus organizations, develop impactful programs, or collaborate on community-based research, with awards given annually to undergraduate and graduate students from both four-year colleges and community colleges.
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Campus Compact: Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award
The Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award honors one senior faculty member annually for outstanding engaged scholarship and leadership in promoting civic learning, community-based research, and service-learning at Campus Compact member institutions. Named after Thomas Ehrlich, a former board chair and university president, the award celebrates faculty contributions that advance higher education’s public good.
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Volunteer Tennessee: Governor’s Volunteer Stars Awards
The Governor's Volunteer Stars Awards (GVSA) is Tennessee’s top volunteer recognition program, honoring outstanding individuals, businesses, and nonprofits statewide. Since 2008, it has recognized one exceptional youth and one adult volunteer per county, as well as one business and one nonprofit from each of Tennessee’s three Grand Divisions for their community service.
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Engagement Scholarship Consortium: Excellence Awards
Excellence in Student Community Engagement Award (Open to all student-led engagement programs — undergraduate, graduate, and professional students).
Excellence in Faculty Community Engagement Award (Open to all faculty, regardless of rank and tenure status).
Excellence in Community Partner Engagement Award (Open to community-based organizations — nonprofit, public agencies, NGO's).
Excellence in Outreach and Engagement Professional Engagement Award (Open to all college or university staff regardless of length of service).
Ryan Moser Reilly Institutional Leadership Award (Open to ESC member institutions only).
Hiram E. Fitzgerald Distinguished Engaged Scholar Award (Open to scholars representing institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or public agencies).
Distinguished Dissertation Award (Open to any academic discipline or interdisciplinary program and have defended and filed their dissertation no more than 24 months prior to the submission deadline).
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Engagement Scholarship Consortium: W.K. Kellogg Foundation & C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award
Since 2006, the APLU and Engagement Scholarship Consortium, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, have recognized four-year public universities excelling in community-university engagement scholarship. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Awards honor regional winners for redesigning their missions to enhance community involvement, with recipients competing for the prestigious C. Peter Magrath Award and receiving support for showcasing their partnerships at the ESC Annual Conference.
Each November at the APLU Annual Meeting, the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award—named after former APLU president C. Peter Magrath—is presented with a sculpture and a $20,000 prize. The three regional winners not selected for the Magrath Award each receive $5,000 to support and advance their community engagement projects.
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STRONG ACC: Resilience Awards
The Individual Resilience Awards recognize three individuals from STRONG ACC partner organizations who have shown exceptional resilience and positive impact, each receiving $2,500 and a plaque. Similarly, the Organization Resilience Awards honor three partner organizations demonstrating outstanding resilience, awarding each $7,500 and a plaque.