Julie Holt Among 201 Community-Engaged College Students Honored as Newman Civic Fellows for 2015

2015 Aug 11

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. The Newman Civic Fellows Award is generously 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.

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 amount of Fellows 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.

Julie Holt, a rising senior who is majoring in business at the University of South Carolina Upstate, is one of 201 students nationally to receive a 2015 Newman Civic Fellows by Campus Compact. At USC Upstate, Holt is a resident advisor, volunteers with IMPACT, is a member of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International -- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Holt, who lives in Summerville, founded A Book Forever in 2010 where she promoted, planned and hosted events to give away books to under privileged children. She put her business skills to use by organizing book drives, inventorying and cataloging donated books; managing and maintaining monetary donations, expenses and other accounting duties. In 2011, she received the Jefferson Award for Public Service for creating impactful service projects benefiting Operation Smile, Breast Cancer Research, and the Rosebrock Park in Dorchester County.

"These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. They serve as national examples of the role that higher education can--and does--play in building a better world," notes Campus Compact Board Richard Guarasci, president of Wagner College (NY).

Through service-learning courses and other opportunities for community engagement, colleges are developing students' public problem-solving skills, such as the ability to analyze community needs, the willingness to participate in public processes and debate, the commitment to raise awareness about challenges, and the ability to inspire others to become part of solutions.

"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."

"Dr. Frank Newman, a founder of Campus Compact, had a tremendous impact on American education and its role in the development of citizens who are eager and prepared to make a difference," explains Campus Compact President Andrew J. Seligsohn. "He dedicated his life to creating systemic change through education reform and this new group of Newman Civic Fellows would have inspired him. They are reflections and affirmations of his life's 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.