Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Mississippi State student interfaith effort is receiving a national award for social activities involving the university, Starkville and Oktibbeha County communities.
The "Better Together" campaign at MSU recently was presented the 2015 Inspiring Action Award by the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core organization. The top honor cited the 2013-14 school-year campaign to improve local food security, coordinated by the university's Interfaith Service initiative.
"Better Together at MSU stands out to us because they wove the issue of food insecurity into every interfaith event and intentionally created opportunities to engage across lines of religious difference while serving together," the award citation read, in part.
In its recognition, the Illinois non-profit organization specifically praised the MSU project for coordinating more than a dozen events that focused on food security, engaged more than 400 individuals, helped collect more than 2,000 cans of food and contributed more than 1,000 service hours. A series of special campus events designed to challenge cultural stereotypes also were cited.
The Maroon Volunteer Center, a Division of Student Affairs department, led in organizing Better Together at MSU in response to a national, White House-inspired initiative inviting institutions of higher learning to commit to a year of interfaith and community service programming.
"MSU has a very diverse group of students who are dedicated to growing interfaith cooperation on our campus," said Meggan Franks, assistant director for the Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement.
"We are thrilled to know that we are making an impact on our students, faculty, staff and community. Our interfaith students and student leaders are welcoming, encouraging and motivated to work together to accomplish real change," she added.
The university's President's Interfaith and Community Service Challenge is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, the Department of Philosophy and Religion, the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, and the Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement.
MSU, the Magnolia State's flagship research institution, is online at www.msstate.edu.