Coe student and professor awarded Campus Compact Presidents’ Awards
Coe College continues to develop capable leaders who are ready to impact their campus community as well as the surrounding community.
Harold Walehwa, ’21 and Dr. Neal McNabb, Assistant Professor and Chair of Social & Criminal Justice, have been named Coe College recipients of 2021 Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact (IAMNCC) Presidents’ Awards. About 90 individuals and organizations are honored for accomplishments that exemplify and celebrate the public purpose at the heart of education.
“Both Harold and Neal deserve the recognition of these distinguished awards,” said Coe Interim President David Hayes. “They have demonstrated the drive to uplift the people and communities around them, and we are proud they are Kohawks.”
Walehwa earned the Student Leadership Award. He is a member of Coe’s Black Self-Educated Organization and CoeVotes and also interned and volunteered for Advocates for Social Justice.
The Presidents’ Student Leadership Award honors an individual who models a deep commitment to civic responsibility and leadership, evidenced by initiative, innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public issues, effective community building and integration of civic engagement into the college experience.
As part of Walehwa’s nomination, Coe Director of Community and Civic Engagement Joe Demarest wrote, “His dedication to fighting injustice while also increasing voter participation among students at Coe is exemplary, and his development as a leader has been inspiring to witness.”
McNabb was awarded the Civic Engagement Leadership Award. He has been instrumental 
in creating opportunities for students to engage as volunteers or interns within the community, forming partnerships with several local organizations, including RISE (Reintegration Initiative for Safety and Empowerment), Waypoint Services, The League of Women Voters of Linn County and the Riverview Center.
The Presidents’ Civic Engagement Leadership Award recognizes a member of the faculty who has significantly advanced their campus’ distinctive civic mission by forming strong partnerships, supporting others’ civic and community engagement and working to institutionalize a culture and practice of engagement.
“His ability to drive engagement uplifts not only our students, but our community as well,” Demarest wrote as part of McNabb’s nomination.
IAMNCC is a statewide association of college and university presidents providing leadership for the civic mission of higher education and strengthening the capacity of its member colleges and universities to prepare all students to become engaged citizens.