A key figure “behind the scenes” with campus and community events and a man who is committed to bringing his hometown business community and Grove City College together will be honored for their contributions to the strong “town-gown” relationship enjoyed by the College and the larger Grove City area community.
Janice (Zinsner ’87) Inman and Alex DeGroff are, respectively, the 2016 recipients of the 34th annual Grove City College Florence E. MacKenzie Campus-Community Awards.
Inman, an alumna and 25-year employee of the College who is currently Alumni and Donor Communications Coordinator in the Office of Alumni and College Relations, was nominated for the Campus Award by a co-worker, who describes her as a passionate and dedicated advocate for the community who uses her professional skills in service to worthy projects and organizations.
Inman is deeply involved in Grove City’s Strawberry Days, helping with advertising, printed materials and photography works the event every year. She has helped out for over 20 years with the Grove City Rotary Club’s annual auction, stuffing envelopes, proofing lists, computer data entry and helping the day of the event. Much of her behind-the-scenes work is focused on organizations that her husband John Inman, the College’s vice president for Enrollment Services and Registrar, has been heavily involved in, including Rotary, American Red Cross, United Way, Grove City borough council and Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Janice embodies the essence of a great volunteer – she thrives using her talents to help others with no need for or expectation of recognition,” according to her nomination.
DeGroff, manager of the Olde Town Grove City downtown business district, has worked to cultivate relationships and strengthen the bond between the College and local businesses and the community, according to his nomination for the Community Award. He has met to spread the word about Olde Town with administrators, faculty and students to get them involved in business development, and promotes College initiatives involving the borough.
He is involved with the Grove City Arts Council, United Way and the Chamber of Commerce, which have seen increased communication and involvement with Grove City College students, including several productions by the Arts Council’s Paper Sky Theater featuring student performances.
“Alex views the ties between the College, staff and students, as a vital part of the success of the downtown and hopes that students, alumni, staff, and families will find the downtown a place for art, shopping, dining, and, perhaps, a place for future business,” according to Mary Jo Palmer ’76, co-owner of B’gifted and an Olde Town Grove City board member.
Inman and DeGroff will receive their awards at an invitation-only ceremony on Nov. 14 in Carnegie Alumni Center on campus.
The Campus Community Awards are named for Florence E. MacKenzie, the wife of former Grove City College president Dr. Charles S. MacKenzie. Her efforts to cultivate the relationship between the College and the Grove City community included serving as president of Grove City Woman’s Club, the Shakespeare Club, the Women’s Bowling League, secretary of the local United Way and president the Grove City Hospital Board of Trustees, where she oversaw the merger of the Bashline/Rossman and Grove City Hospitals, today known as the Grove City Medical Center.
Following her death in December 1981, President MacKenzie created the Campus-Community Awards to honor her vision and effort and appointed a committee to seek nominations of qualified individuals from both areas whose volunteer efforts embodied the spirit of her work. The awards have been presented since 1983.