Our Impact
Emeriti continue to actively contribute to the University, not just through financial gifts but also through volunteering their time to various charities and community projects. Additionally, emeriti donate time to mentoring students at UC who can benefit from their years of research and teaching expertise.
Mentoring for PR1ZE
The PR1ZE Mentoring Program (Putting Retention 1st in the Zest for Excellence) is a “faculty and administration support program for historically underrepresented minority students, particularly focusing on African American students. . . In 2010, the program expanded to include students university-wide."
The Mentoring Committee is led by Chair Joanna Mitro, assisted by dedicated mentors including Cheryll Dunn, Howard Tolley, and Bruce Ault. The Committee publicizes mentoring opportunities with various campus organizations and engages annually with PR1ZE to mentor and retain students. Bruce Ault serves on the Advisory Board to the PR1ZE program, while the Committee continues to partner with the FEC and the Office of Undergraduate Research to offer a presentation on Introduction to Mentored Research and publicizes the University of Cincinnati Emeriti/Student Mentorship Award for Collaborative Projects. Indeed, many students have completed mentored research projects with the help of their Emeriti mentors.
Cookin' with the (Future) Stars: Supporting Gen-1 Students
Another impactful service opportunity that emeriti have been long associated with is the University of Cincinnati’s Gen-1 Program which has been successfully supporting first-generation, low-income students since 2008. The work of this program and our emeriti’s contributions to it is detailed in Joanna Mitro’s story below (extracted from Emeriti Connection Issue 20):
In 2018, UC opened 1MPACT House (Stratford Heights, Building 12), a living-learning center which almost doubled the footprint of students who could benefit from living in a supportive community.
1MPACT House Kitchen Initiative
The Initiative places emphasis on meal preparation and cooking skills that will boost students’ independence and enhance the students’ understanding of the relative budget and health benefits associated with designing and cooking their own food.
The objectives of the 1MPACT House Kitchen Initiative are to:
- foster independence
- promote creativity/ collaboration/ community
- enhance kitchen and food safety awareness
- develop food budget/ preparation/ cooking skills
As part of this Initiative, members of the University Community are invited to help design menus and then cook and share a meal with students.
Calling All Cooks
In February of 2020, members of the Emeriti Association cooked with the students of 1MPACT House. The meal featured “zoodles” (zucchini noodles) and spaghetti with an Asian peanut sauce and both chicken and tofu (for the vegetarians). We planned to cook again in March 2020, but the Initiative was derailed by the pandemic.
The program is planned to start up again in the Fall. Please join us on September 15, 2022. To volunteer, contact Joanna Mitro at joanna.mitro@uc.edu.
Creative menu ideas are welcome!
Every year, emeriti continue to volunteer to contribute to UC and Community Initiatives. Emeriti Connection provides engaging stories in each issue that showcases opportunities and achievements. We will showcase several of those stories on our website annually.