McKendree University's Acadia Reynolds is a Newman Civic Fellow

Campus Compact Honors 201 Community-Engaged College Students

(LEBANON, Ill., March 26, 2015) — Acadia Reynolds, a McKendree University sophomore from New Orleans, La., has been recognized nationally for her commitment to community service. She is a 2015 Newman Civic Fellow, one of 201 promising college student leaders from 36 states.

“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,” noted Campus Compact Board Richard Guarasci.

Before she entered college in 2013, Reynolds spent over seven months volunteering as a primary school teacher in Ghana, West Africa. “This eye-opening experience was the foundation of my passion to become an elementary teacher,” she said. “In all its forms, education as an institution and a movement has become the driving force behind my service and my goals as a college student.”

As current president of McKendree’s Young Feminists student organization, she has coordinated programs and events that speak out against sexual and domestic violence. In 2014, she received “The Spark” award for creating a program called “Catcalling and Social Media” to help students become compassionate and responsible citizens. She truly found her home in service, Reynolds said, in coordinating an after-school arts program that brought students from the Griffin Center in East St. Louis to the McKendree campus for four-week, faculty-led art sessions.

“Creating an experience where young students from overcrowded schools and homes are given focused, one-on-one attention and instruction fills me with optimism for future generations,” Reynolds said. “I hope that my efforts have created positive change, and through my service, outreach, and career as a future teacher I will be able to continue working towards this change.”

Dr. James Dennis, McKendree University president, described her as “an outstanding student leader who is firmly aware of social justice issues nationally and internationally. She is a socially responsible global citizen and one of McKendree’s finest student leaders. Acadia has a sincere understanding of local, national, and international issues. Her discernment and drive give her the potential to stand up for justice and be a terrific agent for positive change in her community and beyond.”

The Newman Civic Fellow Awards are sponsored by the KPMG Foundation and given in memory of Dr. Frank Newman, a Campus Compact founder. Campus Compact is a national coalition of nearly 1,100 college and university presidents who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility.