Alisha Marie Battaglia, a Niagara University alumna and current graduate student, has been selected as one of 10 recipients of a 2016 Independent Sector Student Community Service Award and a $500 H.D. Paley Scholarship.
The award, presented by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, honors outstanding Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) recipient students from the independent sector for their leadership in community service throughout New York state.
Battaglia will be honored during the 2016 cIcu Annual Meeting Reception at the Legislative Office Building in Albany on Monday, March 7.
“This year’s student award recipients serve as exemplary examples of the role that independent higher education plays in strengthening the state and its communities,” said Laura L. Anglin, cIcu president.
Battaglia graduated cum laude with a B.A. in adolescence and special education from Niagara University in 2015, and is studying toward a master’s degree in literacy instruction from NU.
The Niagara Falls native is active with the March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society. Through Niagara University’s Learn and Serve Niagara program, Battaglia has worked with at-risk students in Camden, N.J., and Philadelphia, Pa., on four separate occasions.
“Alisha has fully embraced Niagara University’s Catholic and Vincentian mission, going above and beyond the call of duty to assist those in need,” said Patricia Wrobel, assistant dean for external relations in NU’s College of Education. “Her commitment to education and community service makes her very worthy of this recognition. We are very proud of her.”
Founded in 1956, the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities is a statewide association representing the public policy interests of the chief executives of more than 100 independent colleges and universities in New York state. Learn more about cIcu at www.cicu.org.
Niagara University students contribute more than 1,000 hours of community service each week during the academic year.