Fairs offer connection to community service

The University of North Georgia (UNG) will hold Community Engagement Fairs at its Dahlonega, Gainesville and Oconee campuses early in the fall semester. Sixty organizations will provide 126 community engagement opportunities for UNG students, faculty and staff.

Dates and locations for the fairs are:

• Aug. 28, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Oconee Campus, Student Center Quad.
• Sept. 5, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Gainesville Campus, Robinson Ballroom in Student Center.
• Sept. 12, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Dahlonega Campus, Cottrell Ballroom in the Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation.

Students can identify volunteer and internship opportunities, while faculty and staff can make connections related to their research, teaching and leadership responsibilities.

"Community engagement helps ensure that students' social, emotional and physical health needs are addressed while also providing meaningful, real-world learning opportunities," Maxine Douglas, UNG director of Academic Engagement and senior lecturer of human services, said. "Faculty that implement community engagement within their classroom promote active learning and incorporate different learning styles within the classroom. This can help engage discouraged students and attract highly motivated students."

Brooke Owenby, UNG assistant director of Student Involvement, said that hosting the Community Engagement Fair at the Oconee Campus during Weeks of Welcome holds several benefits.

"Research consistently shows that integration into the local college community contributes to lower attrition rates for first-year students and higher graduation rates for all student populations," Owenby said. "I want students to have the opportunity to plug into the local Watkinsville and Athens communities right off the bat." 

Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis is leading the Community Engagement Fair at the Dahlonega Campus.

"Students learn more effectively when they see how their course of study is preparing them for a meaningful role in the community," Morgan-Ellis said. "The Community Engagement Fair creates an opportunity for staff, faculty and students to develop partnerships with community organizations. These can lead to long-term collaborations that benefit students, the community and UNG."  

Previously known as the Volunteer Fairs, the Community Engagement Fairs advance UNG's mission of community engagement to develop students as leaders in a diverse and global society. UNG was one of the first public universities in Georgia to earn the prestigious Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which promotes service-learning and community partnerships and underscores the many ways they can enhance the educational experience.

"As a nonprofit, United Way of Hall County always needs volunteers and interns. We have hosted numerous UNG interns and have benefited from the hard work of these students," Teigha Snowden, director of advocacy for the United Way of Hall County, said. "This fair is a great opportunity to share information about our organization, so students can make informed decisions about their placement."

Another way students, faculty and staff can find community service opportunities is the Nighthawk Community Connector (NCC), a streamlined, efficient method for community organizations to request assistance from UNG. It also facilitates connections for faculty and staff who want to engage with community organizations for teaching, research and service purposes.