Exemplary Community Partner Award renamed in honor of social justice advocate
January 22, 2015
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Exemplary Community Partner Award, which recognizes local nonprofits that provide volunteer and service-learning opportunities for Purdue students, has been renamed in honor of a local social justice advocate and Purdue sociology professor.
The Dr. JoAnn L. Miller Exemplary Community Partner Award recognizes Miller's deep engagement with Greater Lafayette's agencies and organizations, said Mike Piggott, Purdue's community relations director. The award was established in 2012 to show the university's appreciation of local agencies that contribute to students' growth through providing engagement opportunities.
Miller, who was also associate dean for engagement and head of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Liberal Arts, died Dec. 25 in West Lafayette at age 65.
"JoAnn Miller was passionate about the Greater Lafayette community and was one of the Purdue faculty members who was most engaged with it," Piggott said.
"She was wonderful at getting students involved in off-campus projects that provided a community-based perspective to their education. Local organizations and governments benefited from her knowledge and, perhaps even more so, from her grant-writing skills. She was involved in the selection of all the Exemplary Community Partner Award winners and had great influence on which organizations were chosen."
The 2014 Dr. JoAnn L. Miller Exemplary Community Partner Award will go to Food Finders Food Bank, as previously announced.
The award carries a $1,000 cash prize and will be presented Saturday (Jan. 24) at Mackey Arena during halftime of the Purdue men's basketball game against Iowa. The game starts at noon.
A panel representing the leadership of Boiler Volunteer Network, Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS), the College of Liberal Arts engagement office, the Office of Public Affairs and the Office of Community Relations selected the award's recipient.
Writer: Amanda Hamon Kunz, 765-496-1325, ahamon@purdue.edu
Source: Mike Piggott, 765-494-9386, mpiggott@purdue.edu
