Campus Compact, the only national non-profit coalition of colleges and universities dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, has announced that Vincent Rotondo ’23 has been named a Newman Civic Fellow. The politics and public relations double-major was nominated for his social action project, "Recycling for Refugees and Other Community Organizations," which aims to collect donations to provide refugees with items to furnish their new homes.

“Vincent is a visible and influential campus leader who has developed a passion for social justice and humanitarian issues, specifically around the global refugee crisis,” wrote Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, in his nomination of Rotondo for the fellowship.

Citing Rotondo’s many leadership roles across campus — including Fairfield University Student Association senator and chair of Academic Affairs, resident assistant in the Ignatian Residential College, and member of the University’s Honors Program — Dr. Nemec noted that “Vincent leveraged these relationships across the University to revive the Recycling for Refugees program, which collects donations of furniture and household goods from students as they move out of University housing. [Donated items] are then used to furnish the homes of newly settled refugees in our local community.”

Despite facing challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, last year Recycling for Refugees collected and donated several truckloads of goods to a local refugee resettlement agency, the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI). Rotondo is working to expand and institutionalize the program at Fairfield University, and also plans to organize an art installation that will raise awareness of the global refugee crisis and the acute needs of refugee families around the world.

The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a year-long fellowship experience that emphasizes personal, professional, and civic growth for community-committed college students. Campus Compact provides fellows with a year of learning and networking opportunities designed to provide the skills and connections needed to create large-scale positive change. The fellowship also provides pathways to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.

“We are proud to name such an outstanding and diverse group of students Newman Civic Fellows,” said Campus Compact President Bobbie Laur in a press release announcing the 2022 cohort last month. “Their passion and resolve to take action on the wide range of issues challenging our neighborhoods and communities is inspiring and deeply needed. We cannot wait to engage with them through this transformative experience.”

The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation.