MARQUETTE, Mich.—Northern Michigan University received the 2013 Engaged Campus of the Year Award from Michigan Campus Compact. An NMU delegation of academic service learning faculty, graduate students and administrators traveled to Lansing to receive the award at the Giving and Volunteering Celebration at the state capitol.

The ceremony included a number of service awards and a special presentation by Gov. Rick Snyder, who spoke about the strengths of Michigan communities and citizens’ willingness to give of their time to help one another.

“What makes the Engaged Campus of the Year Award so special is that all of our colleges and universities across the state are doing a superior job of engaging students in their communities and preparing them to be engaged citizens and leaders,” said Paul Lang, NMU provost and vice president for academic affairs. “At Northern, we have made a conscious, serious and determined effort to provide a community-based education for our students.

"Our Student Leader Fellowship Program has been developing community-centered leaders for 22 years with 60 local citizens involved annually as leadership mentors and another 25-30 serving as community service internships site advisers. Our NMU Volunteer Center, which is operated by student staff, works cooperatively with dozens of community agencies and programs. We have aggressively advanced academic service learning with more than 20 percent of our students benefiting from such an experience annually.” 

The Lansing ceremony was sponsored by the Council of Michigan Foundations, the Michigan Community Service Commission and the Michigan Nonprofit Organization.