Every Tuesday, Unity College’s Conservation Law Club assembles to discuss the topics of the day, like some of the group’s recent successes or upcoming events. At their next meeting, though, they’ll have a little something extra to celebrate.  

The club, known for its civic engagement efforts on and off campus, recently garnered recognition from the Maine Campus Compact, a nonprofit coalition of 18 colleges and universities, who have honored the club with the 2018 President’s Campus Leadership Award.

Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, President of Unity College, nominated the club, noting the students’ involvement within the community. “This group of students is highly engaged on campus, and off,” said Dr. Khoury. “Every year, they put hours and hours of work into community service, splitting wood, hosting the annual game dinner, and engaging in regional projects. This award is terrific recognition, not only for our Con Law club, but for our club system, Student Government, and the faculty sponsors and Student Success team that support them.”

Every year, the club has about 30 or 35 students who volunteer more than 1,000 hours in the community, including cleanup days for the Maine Forest Service and Maine Warden Service, as well as putting on the Wild Game Dinner at the Unity College Center for Performing Arts. To date, the dinner has raised more than $100,000 for various nonprofits.

The Maine Campus Compact President’s Campus Leadership Award recognizes organizations who:

  • Use service as an integral part of the college experience for students.
  • Utilize innovative approaches to enhancing campus-based efforts to address community issues and needs.
  • Sustain their work by developing strategies to integrate into the institution’s structure.
  • Have a deep, widespread impact on the campus.
  • Have a deep, widespread impact on the community.

“It’s a really motivated group of students that we’re really proud of,” said Lori Perez, Assistant Professor of Conservation Law and the club’s faculty sponsor. “Their dedication to this program, and to the community, is amazing. They really take ownership of these initiatives, and it shows what kind of leaders they are becoming.”

The award was presented at the Maine Campus Compact’s 17th Annual Awards Celebration on Wednesday, April 25 at the Edmund S. Muskie Archives at Bates College.