PROFILE: "New Professional" Award Goes to Maggie Carnes

Maggie Carnes, program coordinator for UC's Student Organizations and Activities (SOA), was honored with the New Professional Award from the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) Great Lakes Region. The NACA is a nonprofit organization that promotes leadership development and student activities among colleges and universities.

Carnes started working at UC in July, after serving as interim director of student involvement at the University of Charleston, W. Va., where she earned her master's degree in human resource management. Her interest in college-level student activities started while she was working on her bachelor's degree in psychology at St. Louis University. "I was involved with the campus programming board there, and I had a great mentor who encouraged me to get into the field."

Carnes says she took an interest in UC after meeting and working with SOA director Lucy Croft through the NACA. "I saw that UC was really involved with the NACA, and I wanted to work on an urban campus where I felt I could make a difference." Carnes advises the Program Advisory Council (PAC) and works with various student organizations and campus offices, including the Wellness Center, Athletics and the Alumni Association. Her award was based on her long-term dedication to student activities as well as her commitment to supporting and motivating students.

"Maggie respects her students for the individuals that they are, and through her relationships with them, she challenges them to take risks, to think 'outside the box,' to break down stereotypes, and to respect each other," wrote Becky Trask, University of Charleston student involvement program adviser, in her nomination letter for Carnes.

The NACA serves nearly 1,200 member colleges, as well as talent agencies and performers working in the college market. The NACA Great Lakes Region covers Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Carnes is chair of the NACA Great Lakes Spring Festival, which will be held March 16 and 17, 2001, at Ohio Wesleyan University.