Grove City College’s annual Florence E. MacKenzie Campus-Community Awards are going to a professor who helped secure tens of thousands of dollars for area children in 2017 and an organization dedicated to the ongoing vitality of downtown Grove City.
Dr. Constance Nichols ’93, chair of the Department of Education, and Olde Town Grove City secured the 2018 honors, the College’s Office of Alumni & College Relations announced this week.
The awards are presented each year to recognize those who work to bring the College and the community around it together in meaningful, beneficial ways.
“Grove City College is proud to be part of the greater Grove City area and recognize those who are fostering a positive and proactive town-gown relationship,” Charlene Shaw ’83, Director of Alumni & College Relations, said.
The Campus Award recognizes members of the faculty, staff, administration or student body, including student organizations. The Community Award recognizes an individual, group or organization from the greater Grove City Borough area. Nominees for both awards must have met the criteria through volunteer effort, not through aspects of employment or other requirements that force interaction.
Nichols’ “innate gifts at leadership, and a vision to initiate, organize and implement community projects enriches the lives of individuals and furthermore her initiatives demonstrate lasting results and impacts the community,” according to her nomination. “When she sees a need, she moves on it.”
Her work with the Hope Center in Sharon, Pa., service on the Grove City Area School Board and influence at the local and state level with the Pennsylvania Department of Education were cited in her nomination, as was her work securing large grants from the Edith Trees Foundation and PNC Bank that will benefit area children.
“Dr. Nichols has a servant’s heart and is a great source of inspiration,” her nomination states.
Olde Town Grove City, a private, non-profit organization whose purpose is to create a better downtown through physical improvements, economic development and marketing efforts, has worked with the College since its creation in 2006 to “bring the campus and downtown together,” according to its nomination.
The organization taps students to help with events, marketing assistance and works with professors in a variety of majors such as Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Olde Town also encourages student discounts for downtown businesses and provides an attractive environment for prospective students and their families to visit.
In 2017, Olde Town and the College partnered to present Grove Fest during Homecoming weekend, providing entertainment, activities and business promotions tailored to the influx of visitors to the campus and community.
“This first Grove Fest was a remarkable success for the college, alumni and community, and the downtown businesses. What a partnership in sharing the planning, funding, and marketing,” according to the nomination.
The awards, now in their 35th year, will be presented Feb. 6, 2018.
The awards are named for Florence E. MacKenzie, wife of former Grove City College President Dr. Charles S. MacKenzie. Her efforts and involvement included serving as president of Grove City Woman’s Club, the Women’s Bowling League, secretary of the local United Way and president of the Grove City Hospital Board of Trustees, today known as the Grove City Medical Center. The awards have been presented since 1983.