10/01/13 lar
Dr. Jean Gleichsner, associate professor of agriculture at Fort Hays State University, was awarded Campus Compact's 2013 award for Excellence in Community-Based Teaching and Scholarship for the state of Kansas by Campus Compact. This award was presented at the Heartland Campus Compact Conference in Tulsa, Okla., on Sept. 19-20.

A national partnership of more than 1,100 colleges, Campus Compact is "committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education," by helping students become better citizens through promoting social and civic responsibility. Faculty are encouraged to incorporate community-based service-learning into the curriculum through Campus Compact.

The Excellence in Community-Based Teaching and Scholarship award is presented to one faculty member from a member campus in Kansas who has integrated a successful service-learning program into the curriculum. Service-learning is a method of teaching that uses community service to enhance traditional academic learning to help students become more engaged members of their community.

Gleichsner uses various service-learning projects to enrich civic engagement in five out of the seven classes she teaches at FHSU. Examples include rain barrels and SWIPE Out Hunger events. Gleichsner was also selected as a Kansas Compact Engaged Faculty Fellow for the 2012-2013 year.