DCTC student club, instructor and community partner honored by Minnesota Campus Compact
As interim president of Dakota County Technical College, a Minnesota Campus Compact member institution, Tim Wynes, J.D., recognized DCTC honorees with 2015 MNCC Presidents’ Awards in the following categories:
Presidents’ Student Leadership Award
This award is for an individual student or a student organization that models a deep commitment to civic responsibility and leadership, evidenced by initiative, innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public issues, effective community building, and integration of civic engagement into the college experience.
Student Leadership Award: DCTC Campus Lions Club (Brett Kolles, faculty advisor)
The DCTC Campus Lions Club’s mission is “We Serve.” The club’s motto is “We rock and roar.” This semester alone, they’ve helped build townhouses through Habitat for Humanity, supported the Out of the Darkness Walk to Prevent Suicide, gathered 800 pounds of food for the local food shelf, and supported the Fight Against Hunger Walk at Mall of America.
DCTC Campus Lions Club
Learn more by visiting DCTC Campus Lions Club.
Presidents’ Civic Engagement Steward Award
This award is for a member of the faculty, administration, or staff or for a group (e.g., advisory committee, task force, project team) that has significantly advanced their campus’ distinctive civic mission by forming strong partnerships, supporting others’ civic engagement, and working to institutionalize a culture and practice of engagement.
Civic Engagement Steward: Margaret Noirjean
Margaret Noirjean
A hallmark of Margaret Noirjean’s Medical Assistant program is incorporating community-based learning and service into her curriculum. Over the last two academic years, she has fostered a strong, reciprocal partnership with Vineyard Community Services, where her students provide health assessments and extra assistance with food distribution for VCS’s “neighbors.”
To learn more about Margaret Noirjean, read “Margaret Noirjean Named DCTC 2015 Outstanding Educator” in DCTC News.
Presidents’ Community Partner Award
This award is for a community-based organization that has enhanced the quality of life in the community in meaningful and measurable ways and has engaged in the development of sustained, reciprocal partnerships with the college or university, thus enriching educational as well as community outcomes.
Community Partner: 360 Communities
360 Communities’ food shelves, domestic violence shelters, resource centers and programs for school success from birth through graduation supports more than 14,000 individuals yearly. 360 Communities partners with DCTC on drives, including “Stamp Out Hunger” and a Backpack Collection, and provides internships, community-based learning, and volunteer opportunities for DCTC students.
Image right (left to right): DCTC 360 Communities volunteers Amy Eppen, Denise Strenger, Harold Torrence, Anna Voight
The Annual MNCC Summit and Awards Ceremony: Rethinking Excellence in a Diverse Democracy, takes place April 16, 2015, at St. Catherine University.
For more information about the 2015 MNCC Presidents Award winners, contact:
Katie Halcrow
Director of Community-Based Learning
Dakota County Technical College and Inver Hills Community College
651-450-3241
