Celebrating community engagement and collaboration

The Office of Community Engagement hosted its third annual Pancakes and Partnership Awards Celebration, bringing together university leadership, faculty, staff, students and community partners to celebrate achievements in community-engaged learning and collaboration. 

“This event is always so special because it brings us together to celebrate the incredible community-engaged work happening across campus and with our community partners. It reflects the spirit of collaboration that reinforces Augusta University’s Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement,” said Amanda Richardson, Community Engagement Manager.

These efforts enrich the AU student experience while strengthening the communities we serve. The event also recognized the 2026 Excellence in Community Engagement Award winners, individuals and partners whose work has made a meaningful impact through service and partnership.

According to Richardson, the success of the event was made possible through the support of Khalia Crawford, the Jags on Campus intern supporting the Office of Community Engagement throughout the spring semester. “Khalia played an integral role in planning and executing the awards celebration. She coordinated event logistics and details to help ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for attendees.”

“This event was very exciting and a great challenge for me as it was a bit outside of my comfort zone,” said Crawford. “I learned a lot on proper event planning and management which I can translate into future roles. It was a pleasure working with the Office of Community Engagement where I experienced first-hand what true community leadership looks like and how it impacts the community they serve.”

This year, the OCE received an abundance of strong nominations — 42 in total — reflecting the depth and breadth of community engagement across Augusta University. Each nominee demonstrated meaningful partnership, innovative engagement, and a strong commitment to advancing community impact through collaboration and leadership across campus and the community.

Award winners were also invited to a luncheon with AU President Russell T. Keen and First Lady Karen B. Keen to celebrate their contributions and discuss future community engagement initiatives.

2026 Excellence in Community Engagement Undergraduate Student Award 

Madden Jones, a cell and molecular biology major, was recognized for his leadership in the Office of New Student & Family Transitions. For LEAP Week 2025, he led the development of community-engaged experiences across nine programming tracks, connecting more than 800 incoming students with the Augusta community through hands-on opportunities. By building strong partnerships and collaborating with local organizations, he helped create meaningful experiences that strengthened connections between incoming students and community partners.

“This award reflects that collaboration across AU and the surrounding Augusta community. I am so grateful to be recognized with this award, and excited to see how this work continues to expand in the future,” said Jones.

2026 Excellence in Community Engagement Graduate Student Award 

A’nasia Monford, MEd, a student in Counselor Education, was recognized for her consistent, community-centered service across Augusta University and the surrounding community. She supported youth programs, organized school supply and hygiene drives and contributed to local health and wellness initiatives while maintaining follow-up support for families. By listening to community needs and aligning projects with shared priorities, she strengthened partnerships and expanded opportunities for student involvement in meaningful service efforts.

2026 Excellence in Community-Engaged Learning Faculty Award

Folami Powell, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, was recognized for leading the development of a community-engaged pre-clerkship curriculum at the Medical College of Georgia’s Savannah campus. Through partnerships with community organizations, students addressed health inequities including maternal health disparities, HIV medication adherence, trauma-informed care, and sickle cell advocacy. Her work integrates community perspectives into medical training while strengthening student preparation and supporting improved health outcomes in underserved communities.

2026 Excellence in Community Engagement Staff Award

Bianca Marsh, IRB Training Coordinator, was recognized for advancing community engagement grounded in trust, reciprocity, and health equity. Through Augusta University’s Human Research Protection Program Community Engagement Initiative, she led community dialogues on medical mistrust and research ethics and supported outreach efforts that improve research literacy and access. Through initiatives such as Looking Beyond Tuskegee and Breaking Barriers in Breast Cancer Research, her work strengthened relationships between researchers and community members while increasing awareness of research protections.

2026 Outstanding Community Partner Award

Augusta Utilities was recognized for its longstanding partnership with Augusta University’s Department of Physics and Biophysics, focused on hands-on student learning and applied innovation. For more than a decade, students have designed and built sensor technologies supporting city services, including rain, flood, and water quality monitoring and autonomous data collection systems. This collaboration provides students with real-world engineering and programming experience while supporting data-driven decision-making that benefits both the university and the City of Augusta.