Community partner recognized at Twin Pillars Celebration

^{Leigh Daley, at left, and Kara Campbell, coordinators for Jefferson Elementary School’s S.T.E.A.M. Program, accept the “Community Partner of the Year Award” during Carson-Newman University’s Twin Pillars Community Celebration.}

(April 18, 2019) JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Carson-Newman University honored community service and academic excellence during the seventh annual Twin Pillars Community Celebration on April 4.

Held at the Mossy Creek Station, the event included all participants of programs in the University’s Bonner Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, the Honors Program, and the Community Service and Service Learning Committee as well as community partners. It gives specific emphasis to the “twin pillars” of the University — academic excellence and a heart for service.

Jefferson Elementary School’s S.T.E.A.M. Program received the “Community Partner of the Year Award” for going above and beyond in their work with the community and with participating C-N students. The program’s acronym comes from what it teaches: science, technology, engineering, art, agriculture and mathematics.

Bonner Center students and staff nominated the after-school program for the award.

“This community partner is one of our newest partners, and we have loved working with them,” said Deanna Simpson-Beavers, the community development coordinator for the Bonner Center. “Our students are able to engage with children in a way that both the child and C-N students are learning so much. The teachers who facilitate this program have gone above and beyond for the children that they work with on a weekly basis.

“These teachers have aided in educating these children in new and innovative ways, and they are also aiding our students in their own growth,” she added.

Students and staff also received awards during the event.

The “Student Excellence in Service Award” for senior students who exemplify both academic excellence and a heart for service went to:
Parker Anderson, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina,
Sarah Grace White, of Johnson City,
Jacob Williams, of Blaine,
Merritt Dowdy, of Franklin,
Stacia Crawley, of Knoxville,
Courtney Napier, of Harrogate, and
Drew Dickinson, of Morristown.

Maggie Anderson, a youth athletics and recreational management major from Maryville, received the Eagles Engage Student Award. This recognizes the Eagles Engage scholar who goes above and beyond the program’s requirements of completing 10 hours of service per year.

The “Student Organization Service Project of the Year Award” went to Suzanne Strudwick, senior women’s administrator and women’s head golf coach, for pioneering the NCAA’s TeamWorks Program at C-N, where athletes are encouraged to go out and serve the communities around them.

Director of Campus Ministries Nenette Measels was named Staff Member of the Year, while Associate Professor of Sociology Ray Dalton was named Faculty Member of the Year.

“Carson-Newman’s emphasis on community service and academic excellence truly shine through all of these award winners,” Simpson-Beavers said.

Founded in 1851, Carson-Newman is a Christian liberal arts university located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, among the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The University has over 2,500 students and offers 50 undergraduate majors, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.