St. Norbert College Professor Receives Award for Civic Engagement

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From St. Norbert College,, April 20, 2016
by Erich Wegenke, erich.wegenke@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

Bola Delano-Oriaran, associate professor of education and director of student teaching abroad at St. Norbert College, has been awarded the Sister Joel Read Civic Engagement Practitioners Award in recognition of her work as a long-time leader and advocate for equity and multiculturalism. The award was presented by the Wisconsin division of Campus Compact, a national coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities dedicated to campus-based civic engagement. The award presentation took place on April 18 at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, as part of the Civic Engagement Institute event.

During her time at St. Norbert College, Delano-Oriaran has developed many long-standing service learning projects, including a pre-service teacher partnership with afterschool programs and a weekend experience for transracial adoptive families. As a teacher, she encourages students to build authentic relationships with community partners and become full participants in the creation and execution of civic engagement activities.

Delano-Oriaran also leads other St. Norbert College faculty in civic engagement. She was one of the first faculty members to train others in service learning, and has served on the college's service learning advisory committee since its creation. In addition to her work on campus, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Fox Cities Rotary Multicultural Center and the board of Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin.

"The mission of my institution, St. Norbert College, is rooted in community, which calls us to respond to the needs of our communities," Delano-Oriaran said. "Being the recipient of this award is humbling and a reminder that selfless service is honorable. It is also a reminder that while others have been doing this work for a long time, there is more for us to do."

Campus Compact is a national coalition of nearly 1,100 colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. Its Wisconsin division was created in 2002. Learn more about the Wisconsin Campus Compact at http://www.wicampuscompact.org/.

For more information, contact Gavin Luter by phone at 608-890-3224 or by email at gavin.luter@uwex.edu.