Lisa Enright, director of student engagement, received the 2020 Presidents' Good Steward Award
Each year, the Campus Compact for New Hampshire (CCNH) celebrates students, staff and representatives from local colleges and nonprofits who demonstrate exceptional community service in higher education. The CCNH Presidents' Awards recognize students, faculty, staff and local organizations that actively contribute to the betterment of their campus and community. UNH Manchester’s commitment to community service is well represented among this year’s recipients: Rachel Avery '20 and Meriah Metzger '20 (Leadership Award), Lisa Enright (Good Steward Award) and the YWCA (Community Partner Award).
Presidents’ Leadership Award
Rachel Avery '20 and Meriah Metzger '20
|
The Presidents’ Leadership Award is given to an individual or student group that has made community service fundamental to their college experience. This year’s recipients, Rachel Avery '20 and Meriah Metzger '20, exemplify that mission. Avery and Metzger saw a need for a student-run group on campus to share their passion for helping others and getting involved in their community. The pair created the Student Coalition for Service and Empowerment, which hosts cultural events as well as facilitates volunteer opportunities with the New Hampshire Food Bank and Families in Transition.
Avery and Metzger also developed a workshop series titled "Coffee and Culture," which allows students a free and welcoming forum to discuss topics around identity. These events have become some of the most well attended on campus.
In addition to the Student Coalition, Avery and Metzger have served as peer mentors, orientation leaders and willing volunteers to help new and current students through their work with the Office of Student Engagement.
Presidents’ Good Steward Award
Lisa Enright, Ed.D., director of student engagement
  |
The President’s Good Steward Award is given to a faculty, administration or staff member who has contributed his or her professional expertise in service to the wider community and who has significantly advanced public service on their campus. This has been true of Lisa Enright, director of Student Engagement. Enright cares deeply for her students and colleagues, which is consistently evidenced by the passion and empathy she brings to her role—a role that she so often goes above-and-beyond to better serve the community. She is a tireless advocate for mental health services and resources for the food-insecure, which has led to community wellness becoming a cornerstone of the college’s mission.
Enright uses her professional expertise in positive psychology to create meaningful and impactful experiences for UNH Manchester students. She promotes student wellness as a critical component of their time at UNH and an integral part of their academic success. She has worked tirelessly to build both informal and formal partnerships with community health and wellness organizations in order to best support UNH Manchester students. She developed the first wellness fair in 2019, which brought local community partners like the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, NH Food Bank, NAMI and many others to campus to offer health and wellness resources and information to students. She has built relationships with SHARRP and the YWCA and invited them to lead classroom activities and discussion in our First Year Seminar around consent and establishing healthy relationships.
Enright has also reinvigorated UNH Manchester's peer mentoring program to provide students the opportunity to become nationally certified Peer Educators. This program has provided valuable leadership training for the mentors and has also resulted in the creation of peer-to-peer health and wellness education programming and support. UNH Manchester students are better supported as a result of Enright’s commitment to holistic student wellness.
Presidents’ Community Partner Award
The Presidents’ Community Partner Award is given to a non-profit organization that has enhanced the quality of life in the community in meaningful and measurable ways and engaged in the development of sustained, reciprocal partnerships with a college or university. The YWCA has partnered with UNH Manchester to offer workshops around healthy relationships, sexual assault awareness and domestic violence awareness and to provide overall support to our campus community. A representative volunteers their time at each of our new student orientations, with parents of first year students and with transfer students directly, to share how students can utilize their services. The YWCA has also participated in first year seminar courses on campus to provide information about healthy relationships and consent to new students and will be participating in our Fresh Check Day, a national, uplifting mental health fair, to continue their support of UNH Manchester students. Their services are completely confidential and open to anyone, and representatives put an emphasis that students can utilize their services to learn how to support others who may be experiencing sexual assault or dating violence.
