The Online Student Government Association at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service has announced six recipients of the group’s inaugural Skip Rutherford Service Award.
The inaugural award recipients are Rinda Hall (Little Rock, Ark.), Pam Margolis (Philadelphia, Pa.), Jeff Meador (Granbury, Texas), Amanda R. Nipper (Little Rock, Ark.), Lisa Taylor (De Queen, Ark.), and Aaron Utley (Conway, Ark.).
“We came up with the service cord as a way for the OSGA to honor students who actively commit to service outside of their normal jobs during their tenure in the program,” said Utley, who has served as president of the Online Student Government Association during the 2020-21 academic year.
Graduates of Clinton School Online are eligible to receive the service award after giving at least 100 hours of service – unpaid acts of volunteer service – to their community as students. The award is named in honor of Clinton School Dean James L. “Skip” Rutherford III, who announced his retirement in September.
“On behalf of the years of service dedicated for the public good through his service to President Clinton, in the nonprofit sector, with the Clinton Foundation, and at the Clinton School, and the myriad of people on whom he’s had such an influence, we are so excited to announce that the service award and cord program sponsored by the OSGA going forward will be known as the Skip Rutherford Service Award,” Utley said. “We can think of no one more fitting for their dedication to service than Dean Rutherford and hopefully this will serve as a reminder of a life lived in service to the public.”
The award is being implemented to recognize the importance of community engagement activities as a way to apply skills and knowledge acquired in both practical life experience and the Clinton School’s public service education.
In addition to the OSGA’s service award, students who completed their service hours in Arkansas will receive a Governor’s Distinguished Service Award with a certificate signed by Governor Asa Hutchinson on behalf of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on National Service and Volunteerism.
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