Rutgers University, Newark, To Honor Members of the Campus Community, the Victoria Foundation

Publicly Recognizing Those Who Do Good for Others

Some unsung heroes are about to get their time in the spotlight. Rutgers University in Newark will honor several members of the campus community, as well as the Newark-based Victoria Foundation, for “exemplary leadership in connecting the campus with the community.” The 2010 Chancellor’s Community Engagement Awards will be given out at a Dec. 2 ceremony on campus in recognition of the valuable relationships that faculty, staff and students have created with communities in Newark and the surrounding region. 

This year’s honorees are: 

Faculty members Thomas McCabe, South Orange, N.J. ; Roberta Schorr, Hillsborough, N.J.; Kyle Farmbry, South Orange, N.J.; and Aimee Cox, Newark, N.J.;   Rutgers senior Yolanda Jackson, New Brunswick;   the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick; and the  Victoria Foundation, in Glen Ridge, N.J. 

In announcing the annual awards, Chancellor Steven J. Diner described the campus as “very fortunate to have so many dedicated faculty, staff and students, working with community agencies and populations, forming partnerships, engaging in research and teaching activities, and forging valuable relationships with Newark and its neighbors.  The selection committees had a challenging job, as there were many deserving nominees.” 

This September Washington Monthly magazine ranked Rutgers, Newark, at # 18 in the nation among National Universities for its “contributions to the public good,” in its 2010 College Rankings issue.   

Following are the various awards and the recipients: 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AND LEARNING, awarded to a full-time or part-time faculty member or teaching assistant for recognizing exemplary use of the resources of the surrounding community in teaching and learning, awarded to THOMAS MCCABE, DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, South Orange

McCabe’s summer course, “The Global History of the Global Game: How Soccer Explains the World,” taught in conjunction with the World Cup in soccer this past summer, introduced students to the global world of soccer through tours of “the American cradle of soccer” in the communities of Newark, Harrison and Kearny.  “Getting out of the classroom and into the community proved an incredible learning experience, and when students wrote about these experiences in journal assignments, they often pointed out that these trips into ethnic enclaves allowed them to experience communities they had only heard about,” explains McCabe.

 COMMUNITY RESEARCH AWARD, for research of broad scholarly significance based in whole or in part on data from Newark or northern New Jersey, awarded to ROBERTA SCHORR, DEPARTMENT OF URBAN EDUCATION, Hillsborough,N.J.

Schorr was nominated for her “pioneering research in the Newark Public Schools (NPS) that not only contributes disciplinary knowledge on how urban students develop mathematical ideas but also strengths the pedagogical content knowledge of their teachers,” explains her nominator, Arthur Powell, Urban Education faculty chair.  This research has contributed “first-rate insights into how students develop mathematical ideas and how their teachers can best support this development.  Her commitment to the Newark community and the education of children in the city truly deserves the highest recognition.”

FACULTY/STAFF COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD, honoring exemplary community service in Newark or other communities in the vicinity of the campus, awarded to  KYLE  FARMBRY, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND ADMINISTRATION (SPAA), and to AIMEE COX, AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICAN DIASPORA STUDIES.

·         As director of the undergraduate program in public service at SPAA, Farmbry has been “committed to building linkages between students in this program and organizations in the city of Newark. As a result of the program’s efforts, nearly two dozen students have been placed in internships in nonprofits and government agencies in Newark,” states nominator Marc Holzer, dean of SPAA.  Holzer notes that this fall the public service program  hosted its first annual Public Service Day, which it coordinated with the Cities of Service initiative being conducted by the City of Newark. 

·         Cox is being recognized for her work with the Newark BlackLight Project, a creative movement and social justice program that transforms young dancers into community activists who combine spoken word and dance moves into performances that educate, inform and connect to the audience.  “Aimee embodies the true spirit of community service and engagement,” states nominator Sarah Smalley. When Aimee brought the project to the Newark Collegiate Academy, she “ran meetings, dance classes and organized a week-long camp, all free of charge and all with her own time drawing in other young women from the community as well. Aimee literally walked to our campus weekly to meet with our girls,” explains Smiley, a social worker at the school.  Cox and BlackLight now are also part of the curriculum at Newark’s Central High School. 

STUDENT COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD, recognizing a student organization or individual student for outstanding volunteer service in Newark or other communities in the vicinity of the campus, awarded to the DEAN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL, RUTGERS BUSINESS SCHOOL, and to YOLANDA JACKSON, PUBLIC SERVICE STUDENT ORGANIZATION, Class of 2011, public service major. 

·         Nominator Marcella Lambrecht, assistant dean at RBS, cited the Dean’s Advisory council for a long list of community initiatives, including clothing drives, working at a soup kitchen, raising funds for the March of Dimes, collecting books and Earth Day volunteer activities.  Two other nominators, Senior Associate Dean Sharon Lydon and Acting Associate Dean Julia Conroy, described the council as a “group of dedicated student leaders committed to the Rutgers-Newark campus and the community at large” whose goal has been to “integrate community service and involvement into the everyday lives of all RBS students.” 

·         Jackson was nominated by the entire Office of University and Community Partnerships (OUCP) for her “impressive record of positively impacting the lives of those in the Rutgers and Newark communities,” through her “capacity to recognize opportunities for service and volunteerism and create initiatives in different venues. Equally significant is her ability to inspire others to join in these initiatives.”  Among other accomplishments, Jackson founded the Public Service Student Organization, and she has been an active leader in the Black Organization of Students. Through these organizations, Jackson has created a college preparation program at Newark’s Central High School, volunteered monthly at the Goodwill Rescue Mission in Newark, helped organize clothing drives and food drives, raised funds for the March of Dimes and breast cancer research, and helped organized Women’s History Month programs. 

COMMUNITY PARTNER AWARD, given to a non-profit community organization or a government agency for exceptional collaboration with faculty, students and/or staff of Rutgers-Newark, was awarded to the VICTORIA FOUNDATION. 

• Nominators Diane Hill, assistant chancellor, community partnerships, and Professor Alan Sadovnik, SPAA, note that “The Victoria Foundation has played a vital role in supporting initiatives that address the educational needs and alleviate the suffering of impoverished children and families living in Newark. Our partnerships with the Victoria Foundation are broad-based, including training for parents, career and work readiness for high school youth, and supporting applied research that will benefit the Newark Public Schools.  Furthermore, Victoria has provided support for training leaders in the non-profit sector and for helping to provide pro bono legal services to organizations and agencies that assist low-income people in Newark. ”  

For more information, please contact Carla Capizzi, 973/353-5263, or email: capizzi@rutgers.edu.