The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes and supports one community-committed student per participating campus who has demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. The fellowship provides training and resources that nurture students’ assets and passions to help them develop strategies to achieve social change. Fellows receive learning opportunities focused on the skills needed to serve as effective agents of change in addressing public problems and building equitable communities.
Newman Civic Fellow nominees must meet the fellowship eligibility criteria:
- Be an enrolled undergraduate at UW–Madison
- Have at least one year of education remaining at UW–Madison
- Commit to providing a short reflection piece (video, article, or letter format) to Campus Compact during their fellowship year
Campus Compact during the fellowship year:
- Nominee’s institution must commit to helping the nominee identify a local mentor for the duration of the fellowship
The deadline to apply here is Monday, March 17, 2025 at 11:59 pm CST.
Any questions or concerns? Email José Luis Ramirez, Jr.
UW–Madison will select one undergraduate student to serve as the 2025-2026 Newman Civic Fellow. This student will participate in leadership development and learning around civic engagement with a cohort of other fellows from schools around the country.
2024: Amanjot Kaur
2023: Brelynn Bille
2022: Angela Maloney
2021: Beth Allen
2020: Shehrose Charania
2019: Emi Almanza Lopez
2018: Wendy Hoang
2017: Rena Newman
2016: Nasitta Keita
The Newman Civic Fellowship is a core component of Campus Compact’s strategy to build a national network of engaged student leaders who can support one another in building transformational partnerships between campuses and communities. Campus Compact is a coalition of colleges and universities advancing the public purpose of higher education by deepening schools’ ability to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility.
Newman Civic Fellows are acknowledged for their motivation and potential for public leadership. Newman Civic Fellows demonstrate commitment to finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country. These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. They serve as national exemplars of the role that higher education can—and does—play in building a better world.
The Newman Civic Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Allstate Foundation. Administrative support comes from Campus Compact.
The Newman Civic Fellowship honors Frank Newman, who dedicated his life to creating systemic change through education reform. Frank Newman’s leadership was selfless, optimistic, and determined, spanning an extraordinary career of more than five decades. At the core of Newman’s leadership was a belief in the power of inter-connected individuals to make a difference. Frank Newman had a tremendous impact on American education and its role in the development of citizens. The Newman Civic Fellows are reflections and affirmations of his life’s work. Learn more about Frank Newman.
> ACHIEVEMENT CONNECTIONS VOLUNTEER AWARD
> BADGER VOLUNTEERS TEAM AWARD
> ENGAGED ALUMNI AWARD
> EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD
> FRED RISSER EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AWARD
> GINSBERG FAMILY AWARD
> LOUIS KORENMAN BADGER VOLUNTEERS AWARD
> NEWMAN CIVIC FELLOWSHIP
> OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY PARTNER AWARD
> STUDENT ACTIVISM AWARD
> WISCONSIN WITHOUT BORDERS AWARDS
2024 Recipient Amanjot Kaur

A second-year student double majoring in political science and legal studies, Amanjot Kaur combines her passion for nonpartisan civic engagement to help organize, engage and mobilize the youth vote in Wisconsin and at UW–Madison.
Amanjot has been a community organizer and voting rights advocate dating back to high school. During the 2020 Presidential Election, she helped mobilize students and canvassed thousands of voters in Waukesha county amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In her first year at UW–Madison, she immediately connected with the BadgersVote Coalition.
In addition, Amanjot joined Chup! Go Vote, a nonpartisan civic engagement organization focused on the South Asian community to help mobilize South Asian students. She also co-founded the Student Voters Union, a space for students to have a voice in discussions about voting rights issues and elections on campus.
In her personal statement on being nominated for the fellowship, she adds that what makes civic engagement so fulfilling and effective in the Madison community is the ability to center her initiatives around student voices, equity and accessibility.