Simpson recognized at the Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact Awards

Simpson students and alumni were recognized at the 2022 Annual Iowa and Minnesota Campus
Compact Awards. These awards are designed to recognize special achievements on campus and in the community. There are two types of awards offered each year: the Campus Compact Presidents’ Awards and the Campus Compact Engaged Campus Awards.

The Presidents’ Awards recognize outstanding civic and community engagement contributions by students, faculty, staff, collaborative teams and community organizations. The Engaged Campus Awards recognize great projects, partnerships and programs related to civic and community engagement. Awardees may be individuals or groups at the discretion of the member campus. There is a full list of award types and winners on the Minnesota Campus Compact website.

Below you can see the Simpson College award recipients as written by the Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact.

Elise Sturgeon, Presidents’ Student Leadership Award

Elise has demonstrated outstanding leadership of civic engagement initiatives on camp as Lead Ambassador for the Andrew Goodman Foundation’s & Everywhere program, which achieved the highest student voter turnout & registration rates in college history in the 2020 presidential election. She has excelled in leadership roles such as Culver Center’s Voter Engagement Team co-chair, SC Leader, First-Year Experience UGA, & is a highly decorated member of Simpson’s national champion Speech & Debate Team.

Culver Public Policy Center’s Voter Engagement Team, Presidents’ Civic Engagement Leadership Award

The student-led Voter Engagement Team developed & implemented a new civic engagement & voter registration module that was imbedded into Foundations I classes Fall 2021. The module goes well beyond previous class presentations that focused solely on voter registration to include a broader focus on the full range of civic & community engagement opportunities available to Simpson students. Student leaders of the Voter Engagement Team are: Elise Sturgeon, Kylie Doupnik, Will Keck & Kylie Banouvong.

West Hill Brewery, Presidents’ Community Partner Award

West Hill Brewing Company owners and Simpson alumni, Heather Norris Gaumer and Doug Gaumer, came up with the​ idea to create a unique new beer brewed from butterflies. In collaboration with Simpson Biology professor Aswati Subramanian & student Ethan Madden, the Pearl Crescent Butterfly IPA was created. Proceeds will benefit butterfly conservation at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, providing funding for internships and research on native butterfly species.