Brenda Lewis, director of FSC's Life and Cultural Center, has been selected for the 2008-2009 Florida Campus Compact Emerging Scholars Fellowship.

Recognizing her exemplary leadership in fostering campus commitment to service-learning and her dedication to forging relationships with community partners, Campus Compact has selected Brenda Lewis for the 2008-2009 Florida Campus Compact Emerging Scholars Fellowship.

As director of the Life and Cultural Center at Florida Southern, Ms. Lewis has worked to create structured opportunities for students to network, communicate, and learn from one another—building a community of tolerance and understanding.

“According to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, 52% of youth who engage in school-based service say that they take a good deal of interest in world events,” reports Ms. Lewis. Challenging our students to “think globally, and volunteer locally,” Ms. Lewis affirms that the power to change the world is in our own hands.

“Brenda Lewis has a passion for serving our students and connecting them with opportunities in our community to aid others,” says Dr. Matt Thompson, Dean of Student Development. “Her selection for this prestigious fellowship highlights her ongoing desire to enhance herself and those around her.”

Originally from Barnwell, South Carolina, Ms. Lewis came to Florida Southern College in 1994. Having served as the director of an adult learning center in North Carolina pairing tutors with adults who couldn’t read, she was the ideal candidate to head up community service efforts at FSC. Today, the Community Service Center, which is part of the Life and Cultural Center, works in tandem with the College's Center for Service Learning to recruit volunteers and strengthen relationships between the College and our civic partners.

“As director of FSC’s Life and Cultural Center, an entity dedicated to the development of students’ citizenship skills and values, I am honored to have been chosen to participate in this program,” Ms. Lewis says gratefully, “but it’s due to the diligence of our students that our programs are so successful.” FSC students logged close to 32,000 hours of service over the past academic year.

Having established relationships with more than 30 non-profit community agencies, Ms. Lewis reminds us that there is no shortage of service opportunities. To learn more about how you or your organization can get involved, give her a call at 863-680-6285 or visit the Community Service Center web site.