Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia (UNG) is launching its Sesquicentennial Spring Service Challenge this semester. Faculty, staff and students on UNG's five campuses will collectively complete 150 service projects, and the university challenges individuals and teams to complete 150 hours of volunteer service with community organizations throughout north Georgia.
"Community service through project work and volunteerism strengthens regional prosperity and well-being," Bobbi Larson, director of economic development and community engagement, said. "Unpaid volunteers are often the glue that holds communities together and makes them a better place in which to live and work."
UNG holds the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Classification, an elective designation that indicates an institutional commitment to community engagement.
The Sesquicentennial serves as an opportunity to honor UNG's heritage, celebrate its present achievements, and focus on where it will lead next.
Community engagement also helps students feel like they belong and are valued, which is essential to well-being and sustained academic success. Learning does not happen in a vacuum. We are students, teachers and administrators, but we are also neighbors with one another and with our local partners.
Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis
UNG assistant director of Academic Engagement and associate professor of music
It recognizes UNG's ongoing legacy of scholarship, leadership and service.
Projects will be completed within UNG's 30-county service area with an emphasis on collaboration with organizations in or near its campus communities.
Students, faculty and staff may find their own project or opportunity or engage in one of the many activities coordinated through the university with partners.
Dates, times and details for upcoming activities will be posted on the Sesquicentennial Spring Service Challenge webpage soon.
Organizations who wish to submit a project or service opportunity may submit requests using the Nighthawk Community Connector.
"I'm always so impressed by the variety of ways our students embed themselves into the community through philanthropy and service projects," Mallory Rodriguez, director of UNG's student life and leadership programs, said. "Service is a critical way for our students to demonstrate leadership, network with community members, learn about social issues, and begin exploring their civic responsibilities."
Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis, assistant director of Academic Engagement and associate professor of music, is also eager to see the impact UNG will make through the Sesquicentennial Spring Service Challenge.
"Through service learning, students discover how they can employ their skills and knowledge to make real change in the world around them. The experience reveals their power and potential," Morgan-Ellis said. "Community engagement also helps students feel like they belong and are valued, which is essential to well-being and sustained academic success. Learning does not happen in a vacuum. We are students, teachers and administrators, but we are also neighbors with one another and with our local partners."
Projects and volunteer hours must be submitted by April 22, after National Volunteer Week (April 16-22), with accomplishments celebrated in late April.
Links for reporting projects and service hours will be posted on the Sesquicentennial Spring Service Challenge webpage.
For those seeking more information or assistance in identifying partner organizations, contact Larson at Bobbi.Larson@ung.edu.
