College of Public Health faculty members Sarah Saint Hamilton and Rebecca Wells were among the eight UGA faculty members selected by the Office of Service-Learning for participation in its yearlong Service-Learning Fellows program. This program provides an opportunity for faculty members from a broad range of disciplines to integrate academic service-learning into their professional practice.

Fellows meet regularly throughout the academic year and receive an award of up to $2,500 to develop or implement a proposed service-learning project. Academic service-learning—one way for students to fulfill UGA’s experiential learning graduation requirement—integrates organized service activities that meet community-identified needs into academic courses as a way to enhance understanding of academic content, teach civic responsibility and provide benefit to the community.

Nearly 150 faculty from 16 of UGA’s schools and colleges, public service and outreach units, and the medical partnership have participated in the program since it was established in 2006. Participants create diverse service-learning projects that pair students with partners locally, across the state, or throughout the world to address community issues such as health access, youth development, food insecurity, economic development, and literacy.

“Our faculty continue to partner strategically and successfully with communities, taking on important real-world challenges and enhancing student learning in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs,” said Paul Matthews, the associate director of the Office of Service-Learning.

The CPH 2020-2021 Service-Learning Fellows, their respective academic fields, and proposed projects are:

Sarah Saint Hamilton, clinical assistant professor, Institute of Gerontology, College of Public Health

Saint Hamilton’s “Service-Learning with Older Adults” course will engage students in social interaction and connection experiences with socially isolated older adults, allowing students to expand their understanding of the diversity of lived experiences, challenges, strengths, and opportunities present in older age.

Rebecca Wells, clinical assistant professor, School of Social Work and Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health

Wells is incorporating student service-learning experiences with Georgia Options, a developmental disability service provider, for her “Disability and Social Work” course.

The Office of Service-Learning is jointly supported by the Office of the Vice President for Instruction and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach. More information on the Service-Learning Fellows Program is available at the Office of Service-Learning’s website, www.servicelearning.uga.edu.

Read the full story at UGA Today.

Posted on November 2, 2020.