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Campus Compact

About Us

Dear Friend:

Welcome to the Montana Campus Compact website. We are delighted to provide this resource for you to learn more about our programs and initiatives. The Montana Campus Compact (MTCC) is an organization committed to fostering a renewed vision for higher education, one that supports civic engagement through community service and volunteerism.

MTCC is a coalition of Montana college and university presidents, chancellors, and deans committed to the civic purposes of higher education. Our Board of Directors believes that by creating a supportive campus environment for involvement in community service, colleges and universities can best prepare their students to be active, committed, informed citizen leaders in their communities. To support our mission, MTCC promotes activities that:

  • Develop students' citizenship skills and values;
  • Encourage collaborative partnerships between Montana's campuses and communities; and
  • Assist faculty who seek to integrate public and community engagement into their teaching and research.

The Montana Campus Compact network office is located in Missoula. Our staff and volunteers work to provide project funding, training, technical assistance, and other resources to faculty, students, and staff members in an effort to facilitate civic engagement activities on Montana's college and university campuses.

It is our hope that this website provides information that you need, in a way that is easy for you to navigate. If you need assistance or do not find what you are looking for, please contact me directly by e-mail.  I also invite you to read our most recent Annual Report for more information on the Montana Campus Compact and our work.

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Our History

The Montana Campus Compact was founded in 1993 by presidents of Montana post-secondary institutions. By launching MTCC, Montana joined several other states in responding to the media portrayal of college students as materialistic and self-absorbed, more interested in making money than in helping their neighbors. The founding presidents believed this public image was false; they noted many students on their campuses who were involved in community service and believed many others would follow suit with the proper encouragement and supportive structures.

MTCC is an affiliate of Campus Compact, a national organization which was formed in 1985 by the presidents of Brown, Georgetown and Stanford Universities. Sixteen years later, with its national office located in Providence, Rhode Island, Campus Compact has network offices in 30 states and developing compacts in seven states.  Campus Compact has a rapidly growing membership of over 1100 public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities, located in 46 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, as well as one international member.  The Montana Campus Compact network office was established on The University of Montana campus in Missoula, where it remains today. MTCC currently comprises 20 member institutions.

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Who We Are

Board of Directors
The full responsibility for The Montana Campus Compact is vested in the Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for the general direction and governance of MTCC, including formulation of all policies pertaining to membership, dues schedule, programs, budgets, and priorities. Additionally, the board conducts annual performance evaluations of the executive director. The Board of Directors is comprised of the chief executive officers (i.e., presidents, chancellors, and deans) of all member institutions throughout the state of Montana.

Network Office Staff

Katherine Brady, Campus Corps Senior Leader (2011/2012)
Compact LogoBorn in Buffalo, NY Katherine attended Boston College where received her BA in Human Development. From there, Katherine served as a member of Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest she completed a year of service in Billings, MT working for local non-profit Family Support Network. In her role as Campus Corps Senior Leader, Katherine works with the Campus Corps AmeriCorps leaders across Montana and provides training, technical assistance and plans and executes statewide service projects like Martin Luther King Day of Service and Red Cross-Campus Corps month. Katherine's email address.

 

Eric Cardella , MTCC Operations Director

Eric CardellaThe operations director is responsible for the organizational operations of MTCC, and ensuring strong and accountable system oversight for MTCC's stakeholders. Eric is a native to the Northwest and graduated from Washington State University.  He comes to MTCC from five years of service as Unit Director with the Boy & Girls Club of Charlottesville, Virginia.  Prior to that, he served as Education Director for the Salvation Army of Asheville, North Carolina.  Eric brings experience as an AmeriCorps member, team leader, nonprofit site supervisor and Campus Corps Program Manager to his role as Operations Director.  Eric's email address.

Brian Christianson , MTCC VISTA Program Manager

Brian ChristiansonBrian manages the MTCC VISTA project, MTCC's anti-poverty program which utilizes campus community partnerships to forward community-owned solutions to Montana's most pressing needs.  He oversees proposals, recruitment, and training for campus and community-based VISTA placements, and he provides technical assistance to faculty and staff who wish to bring the MTCC VISTA project to their communities. Brian is a native of Minnesota, and graduate of the Univerity of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Prior to his work as a staff member with MTCC, Brian served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA (in Sand Coulee, MT) and VISTA leader (with MTCC). Brian's email address

Kristine Ferriter, Campus Corps Program Manager
Kristine FerriterThe Campus Corps Program Manager is responsible for administering the Campus Corps AmeriCorps program, MTCC's flagship service program which focuses on addressing unmet community needs in education, public health and the nonprofit sector. Originally from Massachusetts, Krissy received her B.S., summa cum laude, in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont and her M.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Washington. Krissy served as a crew member with the Florida Trail Association/Student Conservation Association and as an AmeriCorps Field Educator with the Southeast Alaska Guidance Association. She brings domestic and international volunteer management experience to MTCC through her                                      work with Nevada’s Great Basin Institute. Kristine's email address.

Stephanie Fitzgerald, Administrative Associate
Compact LogoOriginally from Wilmington, NC, Stephanie has over a decade of business administration experience specializing in customer service and new technology integration.  Stephanie attended the University of New Orleans specializing in Design. After relocating to Montana, she earned a BS, summa cum laude, in Computer Information Systems specializing in Security Infrastructures at DeVry University while also obtaining a Minor in Media Arts at the University of Montana.  She is currently finishing her MS in Computer Science at the University of Montana with a focus in Software Design. Stephanie is responsible for managing MTCC network office functions, information technology and annual organizational projects.  She is also the Microsoft Campus Rep at the University of Montana and actively works with the Computer Science department.  Stephanie's email address.


Katie Koga, Campus Corps Program Specialist
KatieAs the Campus Corps Program Specialist, Katie serves as the liaison to partnering campus coordinators.  She provides coordinators with technical training and support and works with the Operations Director to monitor program compliance.  Upon receiving her BFA at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, Katie completed a term of AmeriCorps service in the leadership development program Public Allies Cincinnati.  She moved to Montana in 2010 to serve as a Campus Corps Leader and offers her on-the-ground experience in providing a high-quality program. Katie's email address.


Dean McGovern, Executive Director
Dean McGovernThe executive director pays primary attention toward member institution chief executive officers and is responsible for the leadership and direction of the organization. The position has a statewide focus. As director, Dean has full responsibility for the working relationship with MTCC's Board of Directors and its Executive Committee, is the Board liaison, and is responsible for the Board's organization and development. He is responsible for the Compact's fund development and for maintaining working relationships with national and other state Compacts. Dean received his baccalaureate degree in physiology from Colorado State University. He received his master's degree in public health and his doctoral degree in higher education administration from The University of Montana. He has written numerous publications and made several professional presentations in both higher education and civic engagement. Dean's email address.


Kirsten Towgood, Compact Service Corps Program Assessment Specialist
KirstenAs Program Assessment Specialist, Kirsten serves the partnering campuses of the Montana and Colorado Campus Compacts as the primary staff person responsible for program impact data of the Compact Service Corps AmeriCorps program.  She provides training to program coordinators in data collection and works with them to develop instruments for tracking performance measures.  She gathers, compiles, monitors and analyzes program data to be presented to a variety of stakeholders.  Kirsten comes to the Compact Service Corps program with thirteen years combined experience in business and non-profit program management and five years of experience in data collection and analysis.  She received her B.S. in business administration and  management, B.A. in social psychology/research, graduate certificate in women’s and gender studies and M.A. in sociology/inequality and social justice from The University of Montana in Missoula. Kirsten's email address.


Rabi Vandergon, VISTA Leader (2011/2012)
RabiBorn and educated in Minnesota, Rabi graduated from Bemidji State with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in outdoor education. He continued his studies in Bemidji Minnesota and received a master’s in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in policy. He was an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Montana Watershed Coordination Council in Helena last year and joined the Montana Campus Compact as the VISTA Leader in July of 2011. He is a big fan of all the excitement the mountains have to offer and loves to get out cross country skiing in the winter and backpacking in the summertime. Rabi's email address.


Josh Vanek, Network Services Director
JoshThe network services director is responsible for expanding MTCC's impact across Montana and the region, and the programs offered to member instituions.  Josh works with the MTCC VISTA program to recruit new sites and provide technical assistance to current sites, the Campus Corps program , the network services director works with the Montana Campus Corps program to expand its impact in underrepresented areas. In addition, he works closely with the staff and administrators around the state and region to expand the reach of MTCC's mission across the state and region. Josh received his B.A. in political science from The University of Montana in Missoula before serving in the Peace Corps in Latvia from 1997-1999. After completing his service, he returned to Missoula and joined MTCC as an AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader before joining the MTCC staff.  Josh's email address.


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What We Do

Every year The Montana Campus Compact provides financial aid and educational awards to students and faculty members performing community service activities. Through these service projects Montana Campus Compact makes an immediate impact on communities, students and institutions, and, by developing students as lifelong citizen-leaders, MTCC's work creates lasting change throughout the state of Montana.

The mission of Montana Campus Corps is to actively engage college students in meeting community identified needs through meaningful service.  The program has two equally important parts: members is focused on addressing community needs while meeting academic goals through service-learning and members serving as part of a team-based corps that primarily focuses on extra-curricular service

 

VISTA Members serve full-time, one-year terms in partnership between MTCC member institutions and local community organizations and nonprofits. MTCC VISTAs' service builds and strengthens the infrastructure of services supporting low-income Montanans. Members serve with local projects designed to create new systems to address poverty problems in the areas of hunger, homelessness, school performance, local food systems, and emergency preparedness:

  • Service-Learning: Institutional and Departmental Support, contact Josh Vanek

The Montana Campus Compact supports the development of service-learning courses with the resources of its Campus Corps AmeriCorps program. Departments interested in 1) building new service-learning courses or 2) adding value to existing service initiatives by incorporating Campus Corps service criteria should contact the MTCC Network Services Director. Campus Corps is a student AmeriCorps program which works extensively with education, health sciences, fire sciences, social work, counseling, psychology, architecture (and more!) across the state.

  • Service-Learning: Faculty Support, contact Dean McGovern,
    MTCC provides resources through a lending library; service-learning workshops for faculty, staff, students, administrators, and community partners; conferences at least once a year; and some financial contributions. For six years the Compact awarded Faculty Fellowships to scholars at Compact member institutions. In fall 2000, The Montana Campus Compact awarded its first Student Fellowships . Built on the model of the successful Faculty Fellowship Program, Student Fellowships provide exceptional students with the opportunity to enhance curricular education with hands-on community service work and training in citizenship.

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Who We Serve

MTCC programs benefit community members such as low-income families, the elderly, at-risk youth, and migrant and minority groups. All program participants benefit - community members reap the benefits of student involvement; students learn about their communities and the values of engaged citizenship; and faculty members are afforded opportunities to be directly involved with their communities.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is "civic engagement"?
Civic engagement is essential to a democratic society. It includes, but is not limited to, participation in activities such as volunteerism, academic service-learning, community service, canvassing for a cause or candidate, voting and encouraging others to vote, involvement in public affairs or holding a public office, sharing knowledge and working with others, and being a good neighbor both personally and professionally. The Montana Campus Compact is committed to helping students develop the values and skills of citizenship through civic engagement and participation in public service.

2. What is service-learning?
Service-learning is a teaching method that combines genuine community service with rigorous academic learning as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. Service-learning programs involve students in organized community service that addresses local needs while developing students' academic skills, sense of civic responsibility, and commitment to the community.

3. How is The Montana Campus Compact funded?
MTCC receives funding from a number of different sources including dues from MTCC member campuses, government grants and corporate, foundation gifts. Current and past funders include The Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps VISTA and Learn and Serve), the Montana Commission on Community Service and Montana State CNCS office, Brown University, Pew Charitable Trust, the Cinnabar Foundation, Western States Insurance, The National Collegiate Honors Council, Community Medical Center, St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center, and the Sample Foundation.

4. AmeriCorps and The Montana Campus Compact: What's the connection?
AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs that engage more than 75,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet critical needs in education, public safety, community health, and the environment. AmeriCorps members serve through more than 2,100 nonprofits, public agencies, and faith-based organizations. AmeriCorps currently provides funds for the Montana Campus Compact's Campus Corps and MTCC VISTA programs and provides Education Awards, living allowances, and student loan forbearance in exchange for service.

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Contact the MTCC Network Office

Campus Corps Program Manager

e-mail: cardella AT mtcompact DOT org

 
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