Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, President of Unity College, has been appointed to the Maine Department of Education Commission for Community Service by Governor Paul R. LePage and Acting Commissioner Robert G. Hasson, Jr.

Founded in 1994, The Maine Commission for Community Service seeks to foster community service and volunteerism to meet human and environmental needs in the State of Maine.

“I am honored to join the Maine Commission for Community Service,” said Khoury. “Effective global citizenship requires a disposition to engage in community as well as the tools to do so in a meaningful, culturally literate way. That’s what we teach at Unity College. That’s partly why I am excited to serve.”

Khoury was recently appointed to two other Maine service organizations: The Maine Climate Table and The Maine Campus Compact.

The Maine Climate Table, is a broad coalition of individuals and organizations from the nonprofit, business, philanthropic and government sectors whose vision is to create a state-based model for climate communication and climate action that will increase civic engagement and lead to action by elected officials.

Maine Campus Compact is a coalition of 18 member campuses whose purpose is to catalyze and lead a movement to reinvigorate the public purposes and civic mission of higher education.

“Maine is a special place,” said Khoury. “I fell in love with Maine when I emigrated from The Gambia, West Africa as a young man attending University of Maine Fort Kent. I welcome every opportunity to give back to the state that gave so much to me.”