Excellence in Community Engagement Awards
The Center for Service and
Learning announces the 2020 Excellence in Community Engagement Award Winners!
The annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards honor extraordinary
accomplishments in engaged learning and community impact. The recognition criteria
are founded upon demonstration of the Mountaineer Core Values of Service,
Curiosity, Respect, Accountability, and Appreciation. The awards are given in ten categories: Undergraduate
Student, Graduate Student, Student Group, Faculty, Staff, Service-Learning
Instruction, Community Partner, Campus Partner, and National Service.
Please join us in congratulating our 2020 winners!
- Cole
Unger Excellence in Social Action Award – Kassandra Colón
- Undergraduate
Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement- Sudhanshu Mishra
- Graduate
Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement – Heidi Gum
- Student
Group Award for Excellence in Community Engagement - WVU Exercise Physiology Club
- Faculty
Award for Excellence in Community Engagement- Dr. Rick Landenberger
- Staff
Award for Excellence in Community Engagement- Tara St. Clair
- Award
for Excellence in Service-Learning Instruction- Dr. Miriam Leary
- Outstanding
Community Partner Award- Rev. Neil
Leftwich and The Spruce Street United Methodist Church
- Outstanding
Campus Partner Award- Tangela Cheatham and the WVU Student-Athlete Enhancement
Program
- Excellence in National
Service – Laura Lucas
- Service
Spotlight Award (Special Recognition) – The Falling Run Trail
2020 Award Winner Bios
Kassandra Colón - Cole
Unger Award for Excellence in Social Action
The Cole-Unger Excellence in Social
Action Award recognizes a
student or student group who have used 
innovation, creativity, partnerships and
passion to make a substantive change in our community. Kassandra
“Kassie” Colón is a true innovator and has committed to social change through
her community-based organization, Project La Resolana, an initiative that
collects and distributes cultural literature to students of color. Project
La Resolana is currently operating in West Virginia. In March 2020, Kassie
delivered fifty books to students at Westwood middle school in Morgantown, WV. When
she met with the superintendent and principals in Harrison county about the
project, there was great interest in expanding the program. Kassie is truly
invested in providing a gateway for youth to have cultural literature of their
choice free of charge.
Sudhanshu Mishra - Undergraduate Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
The Undergraduate Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
is presented by the Center for Service and Learning to recognize undergraduate
students at West Virginia University who have demonstrated a sustained
commitment to community that embodies the mission and vision of West Virginia University
through the values of service, curiosity, respect, accountability, and 
appreciation. Since
Fall 2019, junior biology major, Sudhanshu Mishra has completed over 200 hours
of volunteer service, working with various campus organizations. One such
organization is the Falling Run Greenspace, where he is a crew leader for construction
of new trails for the community’s enjoyment. Sudhanshu
also serves as a Student Wellbeing Ambassador for Well WVU, working with other
ambassadors to devise innovative ways to increase the involvement of students
and staff across campus at events. Additionally,
Sudhanshu is a Diversity Ambassador for the Division of Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion at WVU, where he has worked on programs teaching students and staff
about inequality and social, racial and economic justice. Sudhanshu’s
desire to serve seems to never stop. He has been a member of the WVU Red Cross
Club since Fall 2018 and now serves as the Vice President. While
juggling these various service responsibilities, he maintains a job as a
Resident Assistant. Sudhanshu
has had service interactions with hundreds of students and multiple
organizations. He exemplifies Mahatma Gandhi’s statement, “the best way to
find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Heidi Gum - Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
The Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
is presented by the Center for Service and Learning to recognize undergraduate
students at West Virginia University who have 
demonstrated a sustained
commitment to community that embodies the mission and vision of West Virginia
University through the values of service, curiosity, respect, accountability,
and appreciation. Heidi Gum is a native from
West Virginia and a Masters student in the Geography department. She has
dedicated her graduate career to questioning gendered social inequalities in
the food system in West Virginia. As a Graduate Research Assistant in the
Center for Resilient Communities, Heidi has co-developed and run the Nourishing
Networks Workshop Program, a community-based food access assessment and action
program aimed to support WV communities in navigating barriers to true community
food access. Heidi has not only dedicated her scholarly work to her WV
community, she has also labored alongside them, working in food pantries,
pop-up markets, and on farms; creating a foundation of trust and integrity with
every person and organization she works with. Heidi aims to be a co-conspirator to
others across the Mountain State and beyond who are laboring to make Appalachia
a more equitable and just place for all to live.
WVU Exercise Physiology Club - Student Group Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
The student organization receiving
this award will have made a meaningful contribution to the surrounding
community through group programming, events, or performing continuous service. The Exercise
Physiology Club at WVU consists of 22 executive board members that create and
lead community involvement in events and activities for over 430 members.
Having an executive board rather than one or two leaders allows for diverse
leadership that covers many different interests and domains. The group proposes
and creates service opportunities that vary in level of involvement and build
upon various skills; ranging from members making items (cards, baked goods,
blankets, etc.) on their own time, to full on event planning where proceeds
benefit the community. This allows members to begin where they’re comfortable
and grow alongside their peers, becoming more involved as they feel ready. The
members of EXPH Club take their own initiative to plan and fulfill their own original
community service programs. This academic year alone, the Exercise Physiology
club has spent more than 3,000 hours working alongside members of the
community. Some of the activities they were proud to have been a part of
include making holiday cards and blankets for local hospitals and nursing
homes, preparing food for Empty Bowls and the Ronald McDonald house, organizing
the Zombie Run to support the Core Arboretum, holding bingo at WVU Children’s Hospital,
blood drives, making cookies for cops, and putting together boxes for soldiers.
Dr. Rick Landenberger - Faculty Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
The faculty member receiving this award demonstrates a
commitment to community engagement, values reciprocal relationships with the
community and inspires those around them to make a positive 
community impact. Dr.
Rick Landenberger is a Research Assistant Professor and Science &
Management Specialist for the West Virginia Land Trust. In addition, he serves
on the Morgantown Board of Parks and Recreation (BOPARC) as well as the Mon
Valley Green Space Coalition. In the Summer 2019, he was one of the key players
in successful advocacy to preserve the most ecologically sensitive areas of
White Park during the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) waterline construction
through the park. His timely involvement was integral to negotiating a
pipeline route the would be the least disruptive to the recreational trails and
historic trees. As a professor, Dr. Landenberger believes in a
teaching-learning-engaging process as an effective way to promote a commitment
to healthy and sustainable communities. Whether it be building publicly
accessible trails that link our neighborhoods to the Rail-Trail system,
removing invasive plants on Land Trust Preserves and natural areas, helping to
develop river access or stabilizing degraded stream banks in our local park
system, his community engagement responsibilities involve working with students
and volunteers for the benefit of all in the community. Dr. Landenberger’s
leadership in greenspace advocacy is exemplary, and his involvement across organizations
enhances his impact as a key visionary in developing Morgantown’s greenspace
potential, a role in which he has served for the past twenty years.
Tara St. Clair - Staff Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
The Staff
Award for Excellence in Community Engagement recognizes staff members at West Virginia University who
have demonstrated a sustained commitment to community that embodies the mission
and vision of West Virginia University through the values of service,
curiosity, respect, accountability, and appreciation. Since
Tara returned to WVU after a few years in private industry, she has brought
back fresh new ideas to innovate our community through the Encova Center for
Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She has revamped both the West Virginia
Statewide High School and Collegiate Business Plan Competitions using new
technology including online submissions and scoring to facilitate a smoother
and more efficient program. It is apparent Tara has a passion for connecting
students with the community which has positively impacted the lives of many.
Dr. Miriam Leary - Award for Excellence in Service-Learning Instruction
The instructor receiving this award demonstrates a commitment
to high impact teaching through service-learning, values relationships with the
community and inspires students to make a positive community impact. Dr. Miriam Leary is a co-director
of the Exercise Physiology Professional Development course at West Virginia
University. s. As an instructor for exercise physiology’s Professional
Field Placement course, she supervises students that complete up to 4 credit
hours (180 contact hours) in the community-based Exercise is Medicine (cEIM)
service-learning program. Students working in this service-learning experience
develop and implement exercise programming and educational lectures and
workshops for senior citizens (BOPARC, OLLI), children (The Shack), local
firefighters, and the campus community (Mountaineers Move, WVU ROTC). As
part of the professional development course, student interns complete various
service-learning activities, assignments, and reflections that challenge them to
explore their role as exercise physiologists in the lives of their
patients/clients, the community, and the state. The Division of Exercise
Physiology (EXPH) is training the next generation of healthcare practitioners
including doctors, physical therapists, and physician’s assistants. A key
component of the service-learning cEIM experience is asking students to reflect
on how they’re improving the community now and how they can continue to do so
as future healthcare practitioners. Dr. Leary’s efforts in service-learning
have recently been accepted for publication as a peer-reviewed manuscript in Education
Research International.
Rev. Neil Leftwich and the Spruce St. United Methodist Church - Outstanding Community Partner Award
This award recognizes a
community partner that has established a strong reciprocal and sustainable
relationship contributing to WVU's culture of engagement; strengthening the communities we serve. This partner serves as a co-educator
of students providing community based learning opportunities that embody the
University Values of Service, Curiosity, Respect, Accountability, and
Appreciation. When
people in the Morgantown community faced winter unsheltered from bitter cold,
the congregation of the Spruce St. United Methodist Church stepped up; not just
to pass the collection plate, but to help meet a critical need that had existed
for many years. With the guidance and leadership of Pastor Neil Leftwich,
Spruce St. UMC joined forces with Milan Puskar Health Right’s Friendship House
and opened its doors to create a space; a cold weather overflow shelter, where
all neighbors would be welcomed with dignity. The church's neighborhood
involvement has flourished in recent years: hosting community-wide dinners,
supporting fundraisers, sewing hundreds of masks for businesses,
first-responders, and citizens. Pastor Neil challenges our students to shift
their thinking in how we regard our neighbors and inspires them to find new
ways to engage in community.
Tangela Cheatham and the WVU Student-Athlete Enhancement Program - Outstanding Campus Partner Award
This award recognizes a campus
partner organization or unit that has established a strong reciprocal and
sustainable relationship promoting campus or community service and engagement. The recipient of this award has made a significant contribution to
WVU’s culture of engagement; strengthening our ability to support the
communities we serve. The
Student Athlete Enhancement Program supports the development of transferable
skills and prepares student-athletes for a lifetime of learning. One of their key areas of focus is community
outreach. The impact of the program
under Tangela Cheatham’s leadership has made an extraordinary difference in the
community and among the athletes. Mountaineer student-athletes completed
over 3,500 hours of service this academic year alone. Tangela serves as role
model for students, frequently serving alongside them and helping them grow not
only as athletes but as principled individuals. During the COVID-19 emergency
the student-athletes continued to engage remotely; joining classrooms, visiting
with nursing home residents, donating blood, and assisting food shelters.
Laura Lucas - National Service Award
This award recognizes exemplary achievement through The Collaborative at WVU National Service Program. Laura served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Division of Student
Life at West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) from
November 2017 to June 2019. During her time as a VISTA and now as a full-time
staff member in Student Life, she has been a champion for service and student
success. Laura has extensively developed new community partnerships as well as
strengthened relationships with existing partners. She has also excelled in
building internal relationships with faculty, coaches, and other key service
partners at WVU Tech. An example of her relationship building is our ongoing
relationship with Helping Hands, a food pantry located a few blocks from
campus. Through her work, the WVU Tech Men’s Soccer Team has adopted Helping
Hands as an organization that they visit monthly to unload food trucks sent by
Mountaineer Food Bank. Laura Lucas goes above and beyond continuously for
WVU Tech students and the Beckley/Raleigh County community.
The
Falling Run Greenspace - Service
Spotlight Award (Special Recognition)
The Falling Run
Greenspace is a 60-acre urban wilderness park offering 2.6 miles of trails for
hiking, running and cycling. Just a short walk from the Mountainlair, this
greenspace connects the downtown campus to WVU’s Organic Farm. WVU purchased
the greenspace in December 2012 and student volunteers started building trails
in August 2016 as part of WVU's Welcome Week with help from WVU’s Center for
Service and Learning. Together, approximately 2.6 miles of trails have been
constructed. When completed, Falling Run will have 13 trails and 8 access
points totaling nearly 5 miles. Volunteers are truly the key to the Falling Run Trail’s success. They help with
park maintenance, invasive species management, stream clean-up and trail
building. The Falling Run Trail faculty and graduate staff take the time to create
engaging service experiences with quality learning reflections connecting
students to the greater purpose of environmental stewardship.
