The Department of Student Affairs in Higher Education is pleased to announce the recipient of the Nancy Newkerk Scholarship for 2020: Victoria “Tori” Campbell.
Since 1999, the Nancy Newkerk Scholarship has been awarded to deserving second-year SAHE graduate students who demonstrate outstanding contributions to college students, student affairs activities, the SAHE department, and the broader higher education community.
Nancy Newkerk served as dean of women at IUP (then Indiana State Teachers College) from 1957 to 1967 and as associate dean of Admissions at IUP from 1978 until her retirement in 1994. She was awarded the IUP President's Medal of Distinction in 2009. She passed away in 2017.
Newkerk scholarship recipients are selected on the qualities that reflect Newkerk's own professional career in student affairs: a collaborative colleague, a student-centered practitioner, and a role model for citizenship and civic responsibility.
Campbell is a graduate assistant in the IUP Office of Housing, Residence Life and Dining, completed a summer practicum working with the Center for Multicultural Student Leadership and Engagement (MCSLE) focusing on Welcome Week, and is currently a practicum student in the IUP Office of LGBTQIA+ Support.
One nominator noted her ability to adapt and adjust to constant changes, critical skills for student affairs work in general and especially necessary for navigating this work during a pandemic. Another stated, “I believe she makes the community a better place by her ability to advocate for others. Not only is she a champion for student staff and advocating for their needs at the highest level, she is also a strong advocate for those with marginalized identities.”
Campbell completed her undergraduate degree in Human Communication Studies with a minor in Math at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.