Representing Lawrence Tech at a student service award ceremony in Lansing were (L-R) Anna Spens, Christopher Harris, AmeriCorps*VISTA Jessica Shaddawvine, Krysta Foster, and Leadership Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Grunow.

Lawrence Technological University students who have participated in service events and programs this past year were recognized for their efforts by Michigan Campus Compact at the “Outstanding Student Service Awards” ceremony at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in Lansing April 10.

Anna Spens received the Commitment to Service Award, which recognizes one undergraduate student per campus for either breadth and/or depth of community involvement or service experience and the demonstration of meaningful reflection.

Christopher Harris and Krysta Foster received the Heart and Soul Award, which commends students for their time, effort, and personal commitment to their communities through service.

Lawrence Tech students Lei Cui, Andrea Freile, and Danielle Geiger also won the award but were unable to attend the ceremony.

Spens and Harris were also recognized for their participation in the Campus Engagement Fellowship program. Lawrence Tech was one of five universities in the state to receive $2,000 for students to engage their campuses and communities in a Martin Luther King Day of Service event that addressed the needs of disadvantaged youth, mobilized college students to become civically engaged citizens, and contributed to building a supportive infrastructure for civic engagement on campus.

The awards ceremony was also attended by Melissa Grunow, Lawrence Tech’s leadership curriculum coordinator, who nominated the students for the awards; Jessica Shaddawvine, AmeriCorps*VISTA; Karen Evans, director of Undergraduate Management for the College of Arts and Sciences and Quest programs; and Holly Helterhoff, director of the Scholars and Arts and Sciences Undeclared programs.

Michigan Campus Compact is a coalition of 42 college and university presidents who are committed to providing community service, service learning, and civic education for college students as part of their collegiate experience. The coalition works to integrate service with academic and co-curricular studies, as well as encouraging reciprocal relationships between higher education institutions and the community.

Lawrence Tech joined the Michigan Campus Compact toward the end of the 2008-2009 academic year. This was the first year that Lawrence Tech students were nominated for and received service awards from Michigan Campus Compact. More than 200 students from 42 different universities attended the ceremony.

– Melissa Grunow