Each year, UNH Manchester recognizes students, staff, faculty, and community partners through the Campus Compact for New Hampshire (CCNH) President’s Awards. This year’s award recipients are Stephanie Parent, junior in the Politics & Society program; Regina McCarthy, Assistant Dean of Academic Student Services; and Manchester Water Works.
Stephanie Parent, a junior in the Politics & Society program, received the President’s Leadership Award and the 2014 Newman Civic Fellowship.
Parent, a 2010 graduate of Bedford High School, came to UNH Manchester with a commitment to civic engagement and eager to get involved. In 2012, Parent stepped up as a leader in the Warmth from the Millyard Project where she organized volunteers, identified community partners’ needs, and distributed more than 2,000 items of warm clothing to community organizations such as Food for Children and the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter.
In the spring of 2013 she assumed the leadership role of Students in Action. She has led the group’s service activities including an afternoon movie program for the “bigs and littles” of Big Brothers Big Sisters; two food drives to support the Food Bank; a drive to collect personal hygiene products; a fund-raiser to support the Liberty House; and bake sales to support Students in Action initiatives. In the fall of 2013 she served as an informal mentor inspiring 80 students to run a warm clothing drive at the Manchester School of Technology.
Regina McCarthy, Assistant Dean of Academic Student Services, was presented with the Good Steward Award for her contributions to the quality of student life at UNH Manchester.
McCarthy was instrumental in the development of the college’s Student Veteran Advocacy (SVA) team in 2009. As an advocate for all students, McCarthy is guided by a commitment to social justice and student success, attributes clearly demonstrated through her leadership of SVA.
McCarthy also reached out to Liberty House, a transitional residential facility for honorably discharged veterans that supports veterans’ return to society as self-sufficient, independent contributors. The SVA initiated a “Walk a Mile in Veteran’s Boots” campaign, raising nearly $800 to provide clothing and household goods for veterans. The contributions were important, but the real value of this initiative was opportunity to learn and broaden our college community’s understanding of veteran homelessness. Her work with SVA is just one example of her contributions to the quality of student life at UNH Manchester.
The Manchester Water Works was presented with the Community Partner Award for their commitment to education and long-time partnership with UNH Manchester.
Manchester Water Works is responsible for providing drinking water and fire protection to the City of Manchester and portions of Auburn, Bedford, Derry, Goffstown, Hooksett and Londonderry. The department is also a partner in educating future generations and preparing students for a lifetime of environmental stewardship.
For decades Manchester Water Works has supported the UNH Manchester biology program and given faculty and students access to the departments’ resources and facilities, including access to Lake Massabesic for water testing experiments, coordinated by < a href="/blog/internship-and-career-planning/unh-alumna-mentors-students-manchester-water-works">Cheryl Woods, UNH alumna and lab manager at the Massabesic Treatment facility.
The collaboration expanded this year with a sub-grant from the Environmental Protection Agency supporting Environmental education. Faculty and students representing UNH Manchester’s biology, computer information systems and communication arts programs will work with Manchester Water Department professionals. Together, they will study aquatic microbiology, assess the water quality of Lake Massabesic, develop mobile apps and data management systems to collect and analyze data, and assist in educating the public about water quality issues. The collaborative partnership provides immediate benefit to the greater Manchester community as the team looks at long-term solutions and developing students’ knowledge and skills that will last a life-time.
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