WCU Stories      March 9, 2020

Western Carolina University second-year student Jordan Rasheed has been chosen by Campus Compact, a Boston-based nonprofit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, as one of 290 students to be among its 2020-21 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.

The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a yearlong program emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth for students who have demonstrated a capacity for leadership and an investment in solving public problems.

“I have always been passionate about social equity and helping those in need, while also raising awareness about social issues affecting those within my community,” said Rasheed. “Throughout my college career, I have worked toward understanding the needs of my community and exploring solutions to meet those needs.”

Rasheed is an executive member of WCU’s Rotaract club, a Rotary-like organization for college students. She is involved with the University Participant Program, which allows students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to attend WCU, and is a member of the Student Democracy Coalition, a student-led organization that focuses on educating students about civic engagement.

Through the fellowship, Campus Compact will provide students with a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. It also provides fellows with access to apply for exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

“We are proud to recognize each of these extraordinary student leaders and thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with them,” said Andrew Seligsohn, Campus Compact president. “The stories of this year’s Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are committed to finding solutions to pressing problems in their communities and beyond. That is what Campus Compact is about, and it’s what our country and our world desperately need.”

Rasheed is a strategic and engaged student leader who passionately believes that civic engagement is more than just the “next step” for student leaders who want to make a difference, but a way to actually change the world, said WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown. “Jordan is not the type of leader to immediately step forward simply to put herself in the center, nor is she the type to speak simply to hear her own voice,” Brown said. “Her actions and words matter and leave an impact, possibly even more than most because she strategically chooses so well how and when to act and speak.”

Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities, supporting institutions in fulfilling commitments to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. For more information, go to www.compact.org.