The Best is Yet to Come

Since 2016 James Madison University, and specifically PCE, has been home to the state office for Campus Compact for Virginia, a location-based branch of the national organization Campus Compact (www.compact.org) based in Boston, Massachusetts. Tiveeda Stovall, MSW, EdD has served as Executive Director of Campus Compact for Virginia since 2017. Due to a reorganization at the national level, including eliminating state- and region-based compacts, we will miss seeing Tiveeda daily in the halls of the Ice House but we will still enjoy watching her make an impact in her new role as Director of Student Civic Development at Campus Compact.  

Considering this recent change, it is only right to celebrate Tiveeda and her work on behalf of Campus Compact for Virginia! While her new position at Campus Compact will take her down new roads, the work, enthusiasm, and accomplishments that she brought and achieved for Campus Compact for Virginia and PCE will be celebrated, valued, and dearly missed.

Kristina Oates, PCE’s Engagement Initiatives Assistant worked very closely with Tiveeda in PCE’s efforts to help support and elevate Campus Compact for Virginia. Upon reflection, Kristina states,

“Tiveeda is a vibrant, intelligent, and priority-driven person to work for! I like to think that we accomplished a lot and influenced a multitude of faculty and staff members at our member institutions during our years together; I was just there to be the hands and feet of carrying out her wonderful ideas. Tiveeda absolutely never took her eyes off of the goals that meant the most to CCVA: supporting the growth of students, faculty, and staff, encouraging healthy communication, pursuing racial justice and equity, and promoting constant civic and community engagement. I’m thankful for the profound positive influence that she had on my life and worldview.”

The JMU faculty member most integral, alongside President Jonathan Alger, in the process of establishing and supporting CCVA is Dr. Nicholas Swartz, Associate Dean of PCE. He states,

“Tiveeda and her work with CCVA were vital in providing a platform to share ideas to enhance engagementopportunities for all, elevating the status and better coordination of the Newman Civic Fellowship, serving as a resource and coordinator of statewide, cross-institutional, and local efforts to increase student and community member voter participation and engagement for the November 3, 2020 general election, and bringing awareness and attention to support educational equity.

For PCE specifically, Tiveeda’s work on behalf of CCVA brought attention to the important and challenging issues facing not only the Shenandoah Valley but all across the Commonwealth and nation. This heightened awareness and partnership has helped shape PCE’s partnerships both internal and external to JMU to help us better realize our mission of responding to individual, business, and community needs through transformative educational programs and experiences. I will miss our brainstorming meetings and constant laughter when we were together. Tiveeda has not only become a trusted colleague, but more importantly a trusted friend.”

With over 20 Campus Compact member institutions across the Commonwealth of Virginia, Tiveeda had the opportunity to connect with faculty and staff members that brought a wide variety of experiences, expertise, community influences, and backgrounds to the civic engagement community. Among other projects, she was able to lead faculty development trainings, create and lead student deliberative dialogue trainings, create a voting and census resource hub, speak at multiple community and civic engagement conferences, facilitated and taught multiple webinars, and create invaluable space for civic engagement professionals around the Commonwealth to connect and collaborate with each other. Catherine Coltrupi, Assistant Director of VT Engage at Virginia Tech says, “I’ve appreciated Tiveeda’s leadership and mentorship in a variety of ways during her time with CCVA. She supported VT Engage, Virginia Tech’s Center for Leadership and Service Learning by taking the time to visit campus to participate in interviews during our search for a new Director in Spring 2019. She engaged with the candidates and shared about the network that CCVA provided to schools in Virginia. She has also connected with me academically and personally when I needed the support and mentorship in my PhD program. She and I have expanded each other’s networks in meaningful ways.”

Another faculty member who worked closely with Tiveeda through webinars and meetings was Tia Yancey, Director of Community Engagement at Averett University, who reflects on her time working with Tiveeda. “Tiveeda has been instrumental in navigating gaps in collaborations and sharing of resources and ideas in ways to make our engagement work better. Her presence, dedication, identification of webinars that can increase professional development, and means to initiate shared resources has been her biggest accomplishments.”

The team at PCE will miss Tiveeda’s presence and influence, but we are thankful for her work, resilience, and determination. The best is yet to come!