Skip to main content

Record number of students engage in experiential learning through Public Service and Outreach

To prepare students to succeed in an ever-changing world, Public Service and Outreach has continued to expand its breadth of experiential learning opportunities, creating hands-on experiences that support the University of Georgia’s goal of unlocking students’ true potential by connecting them to UGA’s mission to serve the state.

In 2016, the University of Georgia became the largest public university in the nation to require each undergraduate student to engage in experiential learning prior to graduation.  Today, UGA students have a multitude of choices for hands-on experiential learning opportunities to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that better prepare them for the workforce or advanced study after graduation.

Students are increasingly turning to Public Service and Outreach to fulfill that requirement or gain additional real-world experiences.

Last year, a record 431 undergraduate students received experiential learning credit for their participation in these Public Service and Outreach (PSO) programs—an increase of almost 75 students from the year before.

PROPEL Rural Scholars work with the UGA Institute of Government in Georgia communities to support economic development.

Public Service and Outreach’s eight distinct units provide a pathway for experiential learning (EL) that engages students outside the classroom, strengthens their civic engagement and empowers them to become the adaptable leaders of tomorrow. In addition, these opportunities are supporting core PSO strategic initiatives to build a more prosperous Georgia and connect that mission with the broader campus.

“We’re proud that our experiential learning programs are making an impact on hundreds of students each year by involving them in the University of Georgia’s commitment to serve the citizens of the state,” said Jennifer Frum, vice president for Public Service and Outreach.

As a bridge-builder between UGA and the state, Public Service and Outreach is uniquely positioned to directly connect students to real-world experiential learning that impacts Georgians. Students from any major have the opportunity to apply their classroom education while also expanding their capacity for sought-after skills like collaboration and communication.

“I wanted to have a rural experience that was not a clinical or primary care experience,” said Andrea Fernando, a public health major.

Fernando, who is from Baxley, Georgia, learned that PROPEL (Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership) would be working with her hometown community in Appling County and was excited to get involved. PROPEL, a program from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a unit of Public Service and Outreach, is designed to support economic development.

Through PROPEL, Fernando met with community leaders and worked with a team to research and develop applications for grant funding to help improve the community. She said the experience helped provide a foundation in public health and better understand community development from both a clinical and non-clinical view.

“The most important takeaway I learned is that you need to listen to the community and learn their goals and needs, rather than coming in to their community and telling them what they need,” Fernando said.

EL experiences in public service units are as diverse as the units themselves, offering both experiences targeted to a specific major or interest and others that expose students to a range of experiences.

The PSO Student Scholars program provides the opportunity for a select cohort of undergraduate students to explore and engage with UGA’s public service and outreach mission.

Sometimes students even find or affirm a career path in the process. 

“When I heard about the PSO Student Scholar Program, it was the first time I considered public service as a real career,” said Bella Morris, a nutrition science graduate and past Public Service and Outreach Student Scholar. “I had no idea there were people that worked in public service, and I was excited that a career path could hold so much meaningful change and sustainable support to communities.”

The Student Scholars Program provides the opportunity to explore all eight units of Public Service and Outreach and intern with one unit for a semester while earning EL credit.

Other unit-based EL experiences are designed to cultivate leadership skills. Some examples include leading field trips with the Office of Service-Learning’s Experience UGA or leading classes at UGA Summer Academy with the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel.

Learning by Leading™ (LxL), an EL program at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, builds leadership capacity as students move through the program. Armando Gomez, a graduate student from Woodstock, Georgia, was initially on a pre-med track when he signed up for the LxL program. Gomez first joined because he needed experiential learning credit, but he soon realized he had a passion for education.

Armando Gomez changed his major and is now pursuing his master’s degree in science education at UGA after joining the Learning by Leading program at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at UGA. He’s now serving as a student leader for the LxL Environmental Education team.

“My involvement with LxL has changed my perspective as a UGA student because it helped me realize it is important to step outside your comfort zone to explore opportunities you don’t realize could have such a profound impact on your time as a student,” Gomez said.

Units also create EL opportunities that gives a student the chance to practice their chosen discipline in a real-world setting.  

“My interests in this field were cemented when I interned as a research assistant in the Talent Assessment and Promotional Testing Program at the Institute of Government,” said Carsynn Miller, a first-year Ph.D. student in UGA’s Industrial-Organizational Psychology program from Acworth, Georgia.

Whether students are hoping to gain experience working with professionals in their field of study or wanting to add more variety to their college career, Public Service and Outreach offers myriads of ways for students to grow.

“You don’t need to look for a unit that aligns with your major or your interests,” said Julianna Russ, a Morehead Honors College Foundation Fellow and past PSO Student Scholar from Fort Thomas, Kentucky. “You can use PSO to expand your horizons and learn something new. Don’t be afraid to try new things.”

Share this article


Writer
Wes Mayer
© University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
706‑542‑3000