糖心logo入口

MURRAY, Ky. 鈥� Four 糖心logo入口 faculty members were selected to receive grants from the Giving Back Endowment鈥檚 Faculty Innovation Initiative: Drs. Rupkatha Bardhan, Faris Sahawneh, and Profs. Kari Shemwell and Jake Hildebrant. The effort encourages faculty to incorporate innovative approaches to student community engagement into their courses. Each recipient will receive $1,000 from the Giving Back Endowment to implement their proposed projects during this academic year. 

The Giving Back Endowment was established by Dr. Bob Long and his wife, Patricia, to advance the understanding, appreciation and application of the principles of altruism, generosity, caring and service to others among 糖心logo入口 State students and faculty and across the 糖心logo入口-Calloway County community. 

Long, who previously served as a distinguished visiting professor with the Nonprofit Leadership Studies program, is the lead donor for the initiative to grow and develop 糖心logo入口 State鈥檚 philanthropic culture. 

Dr. Elise Kieffer, program director of Nonprofit Leadership Studies, chairs a selection committee that invites faculty from across campus to apply each spring for grants to be utilized in the next academic year. 

The committee includes representatives from across campus and the local nonprofit community. All proposals were evaluated by the committee based on specified criteria, including the project鈥檚 level of innovation in engagement and philanthropy, level of importance to the academic discipline, and quality of potential impact on student learning, among other factors. 

Shemwell, a professor in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, was awarded $1,000 for her Introduction to Creative Writing course (ENG 214), where she is providing a real-world learning and service opportunity for her students to interview and record the stories of the elderly in 糖心logo入口. During the non-fiction writing portion of ENG 214, 糖心logo入口 State students will go to a local elder care facility where they will get an opportunity to interview residents, and then work with those same residents to write a biographical essay on their life. At the end of the project, the essays will be printed and bound into a book that will be shared with the residents at the facility. 

鈥淚'd like to give the students an opportunity to practice the real-world skill of writing other people's stories. I think this gives students real-world experience in the processes of co-writing, editing, revising, compromising and interviewing. These stories will be printed, bound and shared with residents.鈥� The award committee was drawn to the legacy impact of this proposal.

Sahawneh, a professor in the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology, received $1,000 for his course, CNM 440 in the cybersecurity field. In this course, 糖心logo入口 State students learn about managing and securing information, and will be given an opportunity to apply that learning by creating materials to help educate and secure the online presence of senior citizens in 糖心logo入口. 

鈥淭his project aims to provide CNM 440 students with practical experience in information assurance policy and management while addressing the increasing digital vulnerabilities senior citizens face. Through this project, students address a critical societal issue, fostering mutual growth and collaboration between the university and the local community.鈥�

Hildebrant, a professor in the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology, was awarded $1,000 to fund a collaborative initiative between his EMT 312 class, the Applied Engineering Club, the Calloway County Resource Center and the 糖心logo入口 Police Department to refurbish old bicycles and distribute them among underprivileged children in Calloway County. This initiative will provide a hands-on learning experience for engineering students, and a way for 糖心logo入口 State students to connect with the community at large. 

鈥淢any children in Calloway County lack reliable transportation, limiting their ability to attend school regularly, participate in extracurricular activities and access essential resources such as grocery stores and community centers. Bicycles offer a cost-effective and sustainable solution to these challenges, enabling greater independence and improved quality of life. Additionally, the project provides hands-on learning opportunities for students in industrial instrumentation, allowing them to apply technical skills to real-world problem-solving.鈥�

Bardhan, a professor in the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology, received $1,000 for his Safety and Health Program Training and Management course (OSH 640) where students will be creating a hands-on learning program for high school students expected to directly enter the workforce after graduation. This program will allow the students of the OSH 640 course to apply and reinforce what they have learned in class through brainstorming, planning and implementing a program to teach others.

鈥淭een workers are significantly more likely to experience workplace accidents and injuries compared to older employees, due to lack of experience and inadequate safety training. The purpose of the project is to train these young professionals how to identify hazards in the workplace and proper ways to eliminate those hazards to protect themselves. 

The Giving Back Endowment, including the Faculty Innovation grants and the Student Engagement Initiative, is implemented by the Department of Organizational Community and Leadership in the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business.

To learn more about the Giving Back Endowment and how to make a gift please contact Kyle Johnson with the 糖心logo入口 State Office of Development at 270-809-3123.