Angela Oxford to Leave the University, but Continues With Community Engagement

Rachael Knubowitz

Angela Oxford has served the U of A community for 14 years, and she has resigned to pursue her next big adventure as the Senior Manager of Northwest Arkansas Region with the Walmart Foundation. Her last day as the director of the Center for Community Engagement will be July 15, 2022. There will be a "see you later" drop-in reception on July 12 from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. in the Center for Community Engagement office in the Arkansas Union A643. Come by, say hi, share funny stories and say, "See you later!" 

As the founding director of the Center for Community Engagement, Oxford has trailblazed community engagement, service and student leadership development here at the U of A. Under her leadership, the Volunteer Action Center has launched the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry, three mentoring programs and Razorback Food Recovery. Through adopting and managing GivePulse, the university's online platform for service, the CCE has engaged thousands of volunteers every year, creating thousands of dollars of economic impact throughout the NWA community. 

In 2014, Oxford was appointed as the inaugural co-chair for the Service Learning alongside Jennie Popp by Provost Sharon Gaber. Oxford helped lead and oversee the academic and community partner facets of service learning for the U of A. During her tenure as co-chair, the Service Learning program has grown to include over 100 courses a semester, engaging hundreds of students in service for course credit. "Angela's knowledge of, connections in and commitment to the NWA community was instrumental to the early campus/community partnerships that helped us launch quickly and successfully and grow the number of service learning courses from about a dozen when we started to nearly 200 today," adds Popp, Service Learning Initiative co-chair and Honors College associate dean. The Service Learning Initiative distributes $25,000 a year to faculty members to support service projects thanks in part to Oxford and Popp's dedication to creating a thriving program. 

Oxford has impacted hundreds of students' lives, and we could write an entire book of quotes and stories from students. Katie Loethen, recent U of A graduate and former VAC board member, says, "Angela is my role model who provided me amazing advising as both a student and a human. Her commitment to values of the CCE is an example for all of us on how to maintain vision in a professional work environment."

Sage McCoy, assistant director of the CCE, says, "Angela has a unique and special ability to make you feel seen the moment you sit down in her office. She invests in each and every person that sits across from her at that little round table. Working with Angela has enabled me to further grow and develop my professional and personal identities. She has taught me to have a bias toward action, not be afraid to try new things and to always look for opportunities. Because of her, I approach all situations with a 'Yes.' Angela has truly changed my life."

"Over the past 14 years, Angela has advised and mentored a countless number of Volunteer Action Center student leaders who have taken their heart for service with them beyond the Razorback community to have a greater impact in the world. This legacy will be acknowledged for years to come, and I personally will miss her heart-centered leadership and ability to advise students to learn the critical skills needed to be outstanding leaders of service," says Lori Lander, assistant vice chancellor for campus life.