University of Wisconsin–Madison

Morgridge Center to Honor Top Community Service Achievements

From improving sanitation in Uganda to increasing nutrition in Dane County, the Morgridge Center for Public Service is honoring some of the most incredible student and community service achievements from the past year. Some of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s top students will be recognized along with community partners at the Wisconsin Idea Undergraduate Fellowship (WIF) Presentations and Community Engagement Awards on May 6. The ceremony, hosted by the Morgridge Center for Public Service, will be held in the Sonata Room at the Gordon Dining and Event Center on the UW-Madison campus from 5-7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The annual Community Engagement Awards will honor three UW-Madison students and one community partner in four categories: The ceremony will also feature presentations of the 2013-14 Wisconsin Idea Undergraduate Fellowship projects. In the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea – which declares that education should improve people’s lives beyond the university classroom – fellowships are awarded to projects that enhance student learning while working to solve issues identified by a community. $45,000 was awarded to fund the 2013-14 WIF projects. This includes $10,000 from American Family Insurance, through the Year of Innovation Award, to fund three projects that demonstrated a plan for sustainable involvement. Wisconsin Idea Undergraduate Fellowship projects included work in Uganda, Kenya, Madison, Janesville and the greater Wisconsin community. Fellowships are awarded annually to semester- or year-long projects designed by UW-Madison undergraduates in collaboration with a community organization (whether local, national or international) and a UW-Madison faculty or academic staff mentor.