Campus Compact has honored 162 students from 32 states as 2012 Newman Civic Fellows. Among the honorees is Angela Bonfiglio of Augsburg College. The Newman Civic Fellows Awards recognize inspiring college student leaders who have worked to find solutions for challenges facing their communities.

Boston, MA – Campus Compact’s member college and university presidents from across the country have nominated 162 college student leaders for the 2012 class of Newman Civic Fellows. These students are demonstrating a personal commitment to creating lasting change for the better in their communities. Through service, community-based research, and advocacy, the 2012 class of Newman Civic Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves and the root causes of some of the most pressing social issues that challenge us all.

Angela Bonfiglio ’13…demonstrates the type of civic engagement that sets an example for others, shining a positive light in a time when negativity has dominated much national conversation. Bonfiglio, a junior at Augsburg, works in many ways to create a more just society. Angela rebuilt the campus service organization, doubling its membership while deepening issue-based work. In North Minneapolis, Angela is researching community perceptions on the achievement gap and working to close that gap. She coordinates an afterschool program at Redeemer Lutheran Church to ensure that youth have dependable adults, homework help, and dinner. Angela is dedicated to social justice, including environmental work, youth development, interfaith work, and racial equality.

As a Newman Civic Fellow, Bonfiglio will join a network of Fellows around the country. Together—sharing ideas and tools through online networking—the Fellows will leverage an even greater capacity for service and change, and will continue to set examples for their classmates and others.

“These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. They serve as national examples of the role that higher education can—and does—play in building a better world,” notes Campus Compact Board Chair James B. Dworkin, chancellor at Purdue University North Central.

Through service-learning courses and other opportunities for community engagement, colleges are developing students’ public problem-solving skills, such as the ability to analyze community needs, the willingness to participate in public processes and debate, the commitment to raise awareness about challenges, and the ability to inspire others to become part of solutions.

“Dr. Frank Newman, a founder of Campus Compact, had a tremendous impact on American education and its role in the development of citizens who are eager and prepared to make a difference,” explains Campus Compact President Maureen Curley. “He dedicated his life to creating systemic change through education reform and this new group of Newman Civic Fellows would have inspired him. They are reflections and affirmations of his life’s work.”

Campus Compact is a national coalition of almost 1,200 college and university presidents—representing some 6 million+ students—who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education, that is, to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. For more information about the organization and the award, visit

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The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes institutions for their commitment to and achievement in community service. The President’s Honor Roll increases the public’s awareness of the contributions that colleges and their students make to local communities and the nation as a whole.

“Community service is embedded in the very notion of being an Auggie,” said Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow. “Students at Augsburg represent many backgrounds and come from diverse faiths, countries, and life experiences. That richness is bound together in our shared commitment to serving our neighbor in our urban Minneapolis location or around the world.”

The Honor Roll recognizes more than 600 colleges and universities for exemplary, innovative, and effective community service programs. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses. Augsburg was selected for top honors from among more than 850 applicants.

“I’m very proud of the students and faculty of Augsburg and they should be proud of this Presidential Award,” said U.S. Sen. Al Franken. “Their dedication to serving their community stands as an example to other colleges and universities all over the country.”

The other Presidential Awardees are Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.; San Francisco State University; Loyola University in Chicago, Ill.; St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Tex.; and California State University in Monterey Bay, Calif.

Serving the Community

Much of Augsburg’s community service takes place in course-embedded service learning. At Augsburg, deliberate incorporation of experiential education, service-learning and civic engagement significantly enriches the curriculum and learning experiences of students, resulting in learners with broader worldviews and stronger neighboring communities. All incoming freshmen participate in City Service Day on the day before classes begin in the fall. Through City Service Day, course-based service-learning, and other programs, more than 1,700 students contributed nearly 200,000 hours of community service during the 2009-2010 school year.

Every year, more than 35 courses at Augsburg include a course-embedded service-learning component. Students average 25 hours per semester in service-learning experience directly connected to course objectives and learning goals. Augsburg’s service-learning partners are in schools and community organizations in the inner city of Minneapolis. The majority of these sites serve refugee and immigrant populations within a mile of the campus.

As further evidence of the College’s commitment to service, all 570 benefits eligible employees get two days paid leave each year to use for community service.

Student, faculty and staff volunteers (over 300 per year) serve approximately 2,000 meals per month through the Campus Kitchen at Augsburg College. This student-run program rescues surplus food from campus food service, food banks, local farmers and farmers’ markets and prepares it into meals for low-income community members. The program provides nutritious, balanced, and free meals to local community partners as well as nutrition education programming to youth organizations. This highly successful program is one of only 20 in the nation.

Augsburg College is in its third year of the Bonner Leaders Program. Through the program, students develop deep community relationships and engage in long-term policy advocacy throughout their four years at Augsburg College. The 40 Bonner Leaders were students with diverse ethnic and geographical backgrounds who took on unique community-leadership roles. Through service placements with non-profit community organizations, each student worked an average of 325 hours over the course of the academic year supporting ELL classrooms, running an employment education computer lab, coordinating a low-income housing program, providing community health outreach, and working with a financial literacy program. The Bonner Leaders have provided 13,000 hours of community service work in the last three years.

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That total is the equivalent of 2,791 24-hour days or 8,375 eight-hour work days, a staggering total for a college with 2,000 Day College undergraduates and 4,000 total students.

That commitment to the community and the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood is part of the reason why Augsburg was named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. While Augsburg is listed by U.S. News and & World Report as one of the top 25 schools in the country for service learning and has received the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, the President’s Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition an institution can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

Augsburg is the only college or university in Minnesota and one of only four ELCA institutions named to the Distinction list. Institutions were chosen based on a number of factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, the percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service learning courses.

“We are very proud and honored to be included in the Presidential Honor Roll,” Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow said. “Civic work and serving our neighbor are at the core of Augsburg’s efforts to educate students for democracy.”

Last school year, 900 Augsburg students participated in service learning and 1,200 students participated in more than 20 hours of community service per semester. Much of Augsburg’s community service takes place in course-embedded service learning. In addition, Bonner Leaders, who are paired with non-profit community organizations, contributed nearly 5,000 hours of service while students involved in Campus Kitchen volunteered more than 3,000 hours of their time.

Nationally, college students make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector. In 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service, according to a study done by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Other ELCA institutions named to the Distinction list were Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa.; Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, and Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. Fourteen other Minnesota institutions were listed on the broader Honor Roll.

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Minnesota’s participation in this aspect of the democratic process also brings opportunities to our Augsburg campus. Because of its commitment to civic engagement and service learning, Augsburg was chosen by the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars to host 250 students from across the country for a 2-week seminar in conjunction with the RNC. Twenty-three Augsburg students will participate in internships through the program, each working in the preparation and planning stages of this event to learn about the behind-the-scenes efforts involved with a national convention. Augsburg communication studies professors Bob Groven and Kristin Chamberlain are serving on the faculty of the Washington Center Seminar.

This week we feature Eric Franzen (pictured left), a graduate student in education, and Shannon Backes, a junior studying international business. Check back in a few days for more profiles

<!–, and go to www.augsburg.edu/getpolitical for more profiles and the most current report on Augsburg’s role in the RNC–>

Eric Franzen — Master’s in Education

After receiving a B.A. in piano performance from the University of Minnesota, Eric decided to pursue a master’s in education at Augsburg. Along with his love for music, Eric also enjoys politics. “I began my fascination with politics several years ago. I experienced some dramatic changes in my fundamental ways of living and soon began to question the rhetoric that we hear repeated so often around us.” This year, Eric has been involved in many different political events, including his neighborhood caucus, district convention, the state convention, and now the national convention. Eric is also a candidate for the House of Representatives in SD60a of Minneapolis.

“The process and power for the citizens of the United States to sway government and elect anyone they feel like is truly amazing.” Eric’s goal for the convention is to learn as much as possible about the process by immersing himself into it. “I hope to meet and learn from the respected leaders and thinkers of this country,” he said.

Shannon Backes — Junior

This Spring Lake Park native will begin her second year at Augsburg this fall. She began her college career as a PSEO at Bethel University and now studies international business at Augsburg. Shannon also has a minor in German and plans to study abroad in Mosbach, Germany in the spring of 2009. Shannon remembers her family’s tradition of discussing political issues at family gatherings. “I became interested in politics during long conversations with family members about controversial issues. When I heard different sides of an issue, I would research on my own in order to have my own opinion for the next debate.” While working in the summer, Shannon listens to talk radio shows, such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, to hear the latest news in politics. “They have great insight among others such as Ann Coulter, Jason Lewis, Bill O’Reilly and Laura Ingraham.” After graduation, Shannon hopes to live in Germany while working for an international firm.

Story by Amanda Symes, contributor

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Twenty Augsburg students will be among those selected to participate in workshops, issue forums and, potentially, convention sessions, in addition to fieldwork assignments. Participants will be required to apply with their school’s approval and pay a fee, which Augsburg has agreed to subsidize.

The Washington Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational organization that provides more academic internships than any other group in the U.S. It chose Augsburg for this honor because of the college’s commitment to experiential learning and preparing students as leaders and global citizens.

“Augsburg is thrilled to be selected by The Washington Center,” said President Pribbenow. “This is an unbelievable honor and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students and others across the country.”

A news conference related to the Washington Center’s selection of Augsburg will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 11 a.m. in the Oren Gateway Center lobby and Johnson Conference Room. Speakers will include President Pribbenow; Eugene Alpert, senior vice president of The Washington Center; and city officials from Minneapolis and St. Paul.Ìý

At a news conference on Dec. 12, Eugene Alpert, senior vice president of The Washington Center (pictured), said that the 250 student interns who come to the Twin Cities will “play their small part in the larger role of electing the next president of the United States.” The first week they will be in seminars at Augsburg, and then receive fieldwork assignments. Each day the students will begin with speakers who will brief them about what to expect that day on the convention floor.

Alpert explained that the internship will be part of an academic course for which students will keep journals, write essays, conducts interviews, and for which they will receive academic credit.

On Dec. 9, Dean Barbara Farley was interviewed on KSTP-TV’s At IssueÌýshow, with host Tom Hauser. She said that the experiential education student interns would receive at the convention would give them the “sense of a significant national event” with a focus on national leadership.

On Dec. 12, Pribbenow was a guest on the KSTP-TV morning show, and Farley was interviewed on WCCO radio.

LINKS TO COVERAGE:

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