In October 2011, data on the impact of the 2010-2011 Scholarship of Engagement Grants became available. The grant program was funded by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach. The six grants, ranging from $4,610 to $8,000 and totaling $41,255, supported projects by academic faculty members who combined public service and outreach with teaching and research activities.
Priority was given to projects in Georgia that included a service-learning opportunity for students; that demonstrated collaboration among faculty members in the schools and colleges, and public service units; and that had an assessment-of-impact plan built into the project. The six UGA faculty members receiving the grants were from four colleges.
The grant projects involved 16 Georgia communities, four additional faculty member collaborators, seven staff members, and 77 UGA students (67 undergraduates, eight master’s students, and two doctoral students), and five academic courses. More than 300 K-12 students and 130 adults from the 16 Georgia communities participated in the six Scholarship of Engagement Grant projects.
The grantees and the titles of their projects were:
- Scott Ardoin (Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology), “Training Intervention and Assessment Skills to Undergraduates and Teachers”
- Cheryl Fields-Smith (Elementary and Social Studies Education), “Griffin to Athens: Career Awareness and Aspirations for Middle School Students in Underserved Communities”
- Dale Gauthreaux (Institute for Leadership Advancement), “Capstone Service-Learning Projects”
- Betina Kaplan (Romance Languages), “Spanish Adult Literacy Program at Pinewoods Library”
- Bryan McCullick (Kinesiology), “Addressing the Physical and Cognitive Development of Chilren in After-School Programs”
- Svoboda Pennisi (Horticulture, Griffin), “Engaging Students via Outreach Programs in Urban Water Conservation”
