Wingate University is the newest member of the North Carolina Campus Compact network of engaged campuses.
“We are excited to welcome Wingate into the network,” says Leslie Garvin, executive director of North Carolina Campus Compact. “Through the work of groups like the student organization UCAN, Wingate puts its motto ‘Faith, Knowledge, Service’ into action.”
Wingate University serves more than 3,000 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport management, and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
North Carolina Campus Compact is one of 34 state and regional affiliates of the national Campus Compact network, headquartered in Boston and comprising nearly 1,000 schools. The national group was founded in 1985 by the presidents of Brown, Georgetown, and Stanford universities who sought – according to the group’s founding declaration– to “challenge higher education to re-examine its public purposes and its commitments to the democratic ideal.”
Campus Compact is still a “presidential membership organization” today– the institution’s leader joins on behalf of the campus; and all faculty, staff, and students can take advantage of the network’s events, trainings, resources, and recognition.
Wingate’s new president Dr. T. Rhett Brown moved to join the Compact after becoming the university’s tenth president in June. As a first-generation college student, Wingate alumnus, and former member of the U.S. Naval Reserve who served in the first Gulf War, President Brown understands the role higher education can play in preparing students for lives of citizenship and service.
In the coming year, Wingate will implement W’Engage, a community engagement program for second year students outlined in the school’s new quality enhancement plan (QEP). The goal of the QEP – and the program – is to “enhance and expand opportunities to connect people, ideas, and resources, promote positive social change and provide highly engaging and transformative learning experiences through community engagement and public service. Through domestic travel trips and active learning, students will be able to connect to local and national communities to address real-world challenges.”
Wingate University first joined the Compact in 2009, under Dr. Jerry McGee, who retired earlier this spring after 23 years as president. Wingate was an active participant in the network until 2011.
Compact members have received national recognition for connecting student learning and community involvement. Twenty of the 28 North Carolina institutions appearing on the federal 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll are members. Of the 18 North Carolina schools that have received the Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 17 are members of NC Campus Compact. The state ranks 5th among all states in the number of colleges and universities honored by the foundation.
The North Carolina network was founded in 2002 by presidents and chancellors from 14 institutions, including Elon University, which hosts the state office. Elon University President Leo M. Lambert served as the network’s first board chair and is a former member of the national Campus Compact board.
President Nido Qubein of High Point University is the current board chair.
“Institutions join Campus Compact of North Carolina with a will, a desire, a hope to make things better,” said Qubein. “Part of a holistic education is to be fully engaged to collaborate and work with others to make the community in which we live a better place. Wingate’s involvement will add measurably to our work across the state.”
Currently, 34 colleges and universities are members of the Compact, along with the NC Community College System Office and the NC Independent Colleges and Universities association.