Wagner College’s 2009 Civic Engagement Awards were given at a ceremony on Thursday, April 23. They recognize and honor exceptional individuals and community partners who exemplify a sense of caring and responsibility for others that connects citizens and works to address community problems. The awards are given in five categories: Wagner faculty, Wagner staff, a Wagner community partner, Wagner student, and Wagner department. This year’s winners were Patricia Moynagh (faculty), Curtis Wright (staff), the African Refuge Center (community partner), Kimberlea Karper (student), and the History Department (department).
In addition to the Civic Engagement Awards, Project Pericles gave its Senior Awards for “socially responsible and participatory citizenship” to David Hammill, a Wagner College physics major and education minor, Erica Vasaturo, a history major.
Civic Engagement Faculty award
PATRICIA MOYNAGH, Assistant Professor of Government & Politics
Professor Patricia Moynagh has been a faculty member in the Government & Politics Department since 2006. In that time, she has made social justice an important element of her personal and educational life. Whether working with Project Hospitality as part of the Civic Innovations program, or as the faculty advisor for Project Pericles and Campus Compact for the past two years, Patricia consistently strives to open the eyes of students so that they can be made aware of major problems that exist in our society, and help students make change and become activists. She is especially valued as a supporter of student-initiated projects that can make a difference to the residents of Staten Island and beyond.
Making a positive impact as a global citizen and a community member — that is the guiding spirit behind Professor Moynagh’s scholarly work and academic advising. Her insightful and inspiring teaching and mentorship creates a positive role model for her students and colleagues.
Through Campus Compact, Dr. Moynagh has increased the number of experiential learning classes at Wagner College, thereby broadening the impact of civic engagement within the community. She presses for passionate advocacy through her regular meetings with students as part of the Project Pericles program, expanding their critical thinking through attendance at workshops and professional meetings. She will soon begin work with incarcerated individuals at the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, and has been actively recruiting faculty to join in her vision.
For all these things, as well as for her ready smile and infectious laugh, we thank Dr. Patricia Moynagh for her tremendous service to the Wagner Collage and Staten Island community.
Civic Engagement Staff award
CURTIS WRIGHT, Director of Co-Curricular Programs
A native Arkansan, Curtis had devoted his professional life to the affairs of college students across the country. He has extensive background in residence life, diversity education and creating co-curricular experiences that complement the educational mission of the academy. Curtis has developed peer education programs that afforded students the opportunities to address issues of race, ethnicity and social class, and has also trained and advised peer educators in the areas of alcohol and other drug prevention and sex and healthy behaviors awareness.
Deeply rooted in the notion that learning occurs within the context of our lives, Curtis has blended his desire to understand the confluence of privilege and desperation, and his belief that service is a responsibility of all concerned citizens, through a series of workshops that engage students in service learning experiences while forcing them to confront the reality of the privileges they enjoy.
Curtis joined the Wagner community in July 2006 as the director of co-curricular programs. His prior positions at NYU and the University of Arkansas ensured that Wagner would greatly benefit from his accumulated knowledge of student development, civic engagement, inclusive practices and program development, implementation and evaluation. The sentiments of Curtis’s colleagues attest to his impact and reconfirm how fortunate we all are to have him as our colleague:
“Curtis’s commitment to the Wagner college community starts with his hour-and-a-half commute to work each morning and ends 12 to 14 hours later when he does the same commute home. This is repeated Monday through Friday, and often again during big Saturday and Sunday events.”
“I admire the grace and poise that Curtis brings to his role as an educator. He weaves opportunities for reflection and engagement into the activities and events that he facilitates with our students. Curtis’s dedication to the ideals of civic engagement is impressive, as demonstrated by the many hours he spends with students in service off campus.”
“I believe Curtis embodies the Wagner Plan, as he is committed to working with communities and individuals, supporting them as they determine how to change. He serves as a caring partner and mentor, one who is invested in the positive growth of personal and community development. Curtis is thoughtful and only acts after having determined the course of action that will have the most positive impact and affect positive change.”
Curtis has a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and a master’s degree in adult education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Curtis has served as chairman of the Arkansas College Personnel Association’s Collegiate Drug and Alcohol Education Committee, chairman of the National Association for Campus Activities Central Region’s Graphic Design Competition, and chairman of the Diversity Committee for the Southwest Affiliation of College and University Housing Officers.
Through his published articles on the subject of diversity programs and community building, as well as his deep commitment to a rich and diverse student collegiate life, Curtis represents the consummate professional and a truly great friend. Wagner College is honored to present the 2009 Civic Engagement Recognition Award to Curtis Wright.
Civic Engagement Community Partner award
AFRICAN REFUGE CENTER — Jacob Massaquoi, Executive Director
African Refuge is a community-based organization with the mission of improving the quality of life of African immigrants and refugees and other underserved families living on the north shore of Staten Island, New York City. To achieve this mission, African Refuge promotes community participation, and facilitates access to meaningful resources and activities that promote the dignity and health of youth and families, primarily in the Park Hill community.
Under the direction of Jacob Massaquoi, African Refuge has provided essential services to over 1,500 members of the Park Hill Community over the last three years. Wagner students became involved in the after-school tutoring under the leadership of Dr. Weintrob as part of the history course, “Connecting Families Past and Present.” In addition, at Jacob’s suggestion, Wagner history students and others on the lacrosse team participated in a clean-up of Park Hill and planting of a community garden that was featured on New York 1. More recently, African Refuge partnered with the Evelyn L. Spiro School of Nursing in the creation of the Partnership in Community Health program. Through this innovative collaboration, nursing students have conducted health screening and education for hypertension, diabetes, obesity and polypharmacy.
African Refuge instills a sense of caring and responsibility in others and is committed to strengthening its partnership with Wagner. During the spring 2008 semester, a student who fulfilled her course requirement for community service at African Refuge was inspired to become a volunteer. Today, she spends one evening every week doing health screening and education.
We thank Jacob and the African Refuge Center for their tremendous collaborative efforts, and present this award with great humility.
Civic Engagement Student award
KIMBERLEA KARPER, senior, Evelyn L. Spiro School of Nursing
Kim Karper will graduate with a B.S. in nursing this spring and will pursue her master’s degree this fall at Wagner College. She is an active member of the campus community, holding leadership positions as president of Wagner College Hillel, secretary of the Wagner College Student Nurses Association, and chairwoman of Alpha Phi Omega. She is also a valued member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Sigma Theta Tau and Beta Beta Beta. She has organized and performed service activities with all of these organizations and has participated in “Alternative Spring Break” trips to Toronto and Boston.
Kim has received numerous awards for her active leadership and service, including the Martin Luther King Agent of Change Award for her commitment to creating meaningful change on Wagner’s campus, the Wagner College Chai Society Mitzvah Award for helping to promote Jewish life and community service at Wagner, and the Alpha Phi Omega Award for Most Service Hours, Fall 2008, for a total of 50 hours.
Kim Karper’s nomination, submitted by Alpha Phi Omega, said, “Kim Karper has been an extremely important person in making many of Alpha Phi Omega’s service projects occur. Whether it be volunteering her time to sit tables or orchestrating an entire event, Kim is always able to lend a hand. Currently she serves as the fraternity’s parliamentarian, presiding over meetings. She is also the recruitment chair, planning and organizing the recruitment of new members to the fraternity. Since she accepted this position, our numbers have increased dramatically. She also helps integrate Alpha Phi Omega with the other groups on campus in which she participates.”
Civic Engagement Department award
HISTORY DEPARTMENT — Lori Weintrob, Chairwoman
The History Department is a true force of nature. Guided by committed faculty and strong scholarship, the breadth and scope of their community engagement is extraordinary.
For many years, department chairwoman Dr. Lori Weintrob has built strong partnerships and innovative programs with schools and community organizations just a few blocks from the college, and she has encouraged her colleagues to bring their educational expertise into the neighborhoods and public school classrooms of Staten Island. Her leadership in Project Pericles and as a campus activist for social justice has enriched Wagner College in profound ways.
Dr. Alison Smith, in collaboration with Dr. Mary Rose Leacy, provided the fuel for transformative learning through their first-year learning community when their students expertly rewrote a Wikipedia entry to more accurately reflect the vibrancy and community assets of the Park Hill neighborhood.
Dr. Chinnaiah Jangam challenges his students to explore cultural and religious divides as he works to bring a rich, community-based learning experience to his students.
Dr. Robert Anderson brings his many years of scholarly experience to Wagner students, promoting individual expression, reflective practice and integrative learning.
And Dr. Rita Reynolds, in her first year at the college, has fearlessly jumped with both feet into an extraordinary curriculum that brings history alive for both her own students and the young people enrolled at P.S. 57.
The History Department exemplifies the mission and values of Wagner College — caring, dedicated faculty who provide challenging course content anchored in the liberal arts, creating an educational experience that deeply connects its student body to both the community and the larger world.
Project Pericles Senior Award
DAVID HAMMILL — Physics major, education minor
As an active member of the Wagner College Earth Club, David Hammill is a driving force in making Wagner College a more ecologically friendly and sustainable place. David is our campus’s sustainability coordinator. He works countless hours, sharing his passion for plants with students in the community, both at P.S. 57 and here at Wagner. For his exceptional efforts in the community, Hammill was honored last year with the Civic Engagement Student Award.
Project Pericles Senior Award
ERICA VASATURO — History major
Erica Vasaturo was one of the first Wagner College students to engage with Liberian refugees and other children at the African Refuge Center and at the Fox Hills Tutoring Center in Park Hill. She organized youth poetry writing about the community, and she initiated a survey comparing the assets and inequities of Park Hill with other Staten Island neighborhoods. She spent three semesters working in Park Hill, and an additional semester interning at the Staten Island Downtown Council. She also worked with autistic children in Peru on an “Expand Your Horizons” education course in 2008. Her transformational experiences and her commitment to teaching were cited recently in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
