From across the country, college and university presidents ⎯ all members of Campus Compact ⎯ have nominated promising student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in their community to be Newman Civic Fellows. Madison Hovey, Winfield, has been named as a Newman Civic Fellow from Southwestern College. 

The Newman Civic Fellows Award is sponsored by the KPMG Foundation.  Through service, research, and advocacy, these Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues, and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change. 

Hovey is a junior at Southwestern College.  She is the daughter of Roland and Danielle Hovey, Winfield.  While attending SC, Hovey is also a volunteer at the Winfield Veterans’ Home where she has learned how to interact with different people who have varying needs, in particular veterans who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.  She has also been able to see what the administrative staff does first hand. 

“My next project is a quality of life facilities improvement for the state- run veterans’ home,” Hovey says.  “All of these experiences have helped me make the decision to pursue a graduate degree in health care administration so that I can keep impacting the lives of veterans.”

Southwestern College President Dick Merriman says that Hovey has been an exemplar in servant leadership during her college experience.

“She has been involved in significant leadership roles on campus as a member of the Leadership Southwestern service-learning team and the Enactus business team dedicated to offering business solutions to address needs in the world,” Merriman says.  “She is majoring in business administration with a minor in leadership studies. Her considerable volunteer experience through her organizational affiliations as well as her personal commitments has led her to an increased dedication and future career focus in the care of veterans.”

“I feel very blessed to be the one to represent Southwestern College as the Newman Civic Fellow,” Hovey says.  “There are a lot of students doing great things all over our campus. When I was contacted about the award I was awestruck.  I have a passion for helping people, especially veterans because they have selflessly given so much to us. It is an honor to be able to work with these heroes and to be given such wonderful recognition.”

As these students tackle community challenges, they provide fresh energy and perspective, inspire and mobilize others, and develop their own skills and potential. This year’s record number of Fellows (201) will leverage an even greater capacity for engagement and change through online networking. In keeping with their generation’s emphasis on networks over hierarchies, Newman Civic Fellows will share ideas and materials to further their work through an exclusive online community especially for Fellows.  

 “With this recognition, Campus Compact is highlighting the remarkable impact these students are having on their campuses and communities,” stated Bernard J. Milano, president of the KPMG Foundation and Campus Compact board member. “We are proud to support Campus Compact in bringing attention to these extraordinary students. KPMG seeks a diverse talent pool of students who share our values, one of which involves service to the communities in which we live and work.”

Campus Compact is a national coalition of nearly 1,100 college and university presidents who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. For more information about the organization and the award, visit http://www.compact.org.