The Fitz Center for Leadership in Community is known as a "front porch" of the University of Dayton — the place where the university meets its city, and listens and acts alongside it. This fall, that work will be recognized on a global stage.
The Fitz Center won the 2026 Uniservitate Global Service Award for the North American Hub, awarded by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. The award is especially significant as the Fitz Center approaches its 25th anniversary in 2027.
"This award affirms a way of educating and partnering in community that begins with listening and ends in shared action,” said Nancy McHugh, executive director of the Fitz Center.
The center, founded in 2002, has nine flagship programs that connect students to the community, including:
- Dayton Civic Scholars make a three-year commitment. During their senior year they complete a project to meet a community need, including literacy, affordable housing and more. More than 200 alumni have served in government, law, engineering, education and the United Nations.
- The Health Engagement Fellows work with partners like Dayton Children's Hospital, Daybreak, Sunlight Village and Miami Valley Child Development Centers to address root causes of health disparities.
- River Stewards commit to three years of service, including a project during their senior year. In the past, students have written a children's book, designed a permanent exhibit at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and made park improvements.
Through those and other programs, students, faculty, and staff serve more than 33,000 hours each year, representing more than $1.5 million in estimated community economic impact.
The Uniservitate award comes just after UD earned the Carnegie Community Engagement Re-Classification, held by only 277 U.S. institutions. Carnegie described UD's application as "exemplary," its highest category, and specifically recognized the Fitz Center's Health Engagement Fellows as "a standout example of effective community engagement in higher education."