Psychology Faculty Member Awarded Additional Funding As UC Students Pay It Forward

The University of Cincinnati was awarded a $2,000 grant to support a service-learning course that got underway this week. The Ohio Campus Compact grant, “Pay It Forward: Strengthening Communities Through Student-Led Philanthropy,” supports a service-learning course taught by Farrah Jacquez, an assistant professor in the UC Department of Psychology.

Jacquez says 37 upperclassmen are registered for the service-learning psychology course, “Diversity and Health.” As part of the spirit of the grant program, the students will decide how to apply the $2,000 in funding to support the community.

The students will be exploring differences in health that can occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, geographic location or sexual orientation. “We will discuss individual, social and contextual factors that contribute to health disparities, and investigate interventions that promise to reduce disparities in health care quality and accessibility,” Jacquez says. As part of their service-learning component, the students will participate in activities at the Su Casa Hispanic Center.

Jacquez’s course was formerly awarded $5,000 through the Pay It Forward Program in both 2009 and 2010. Previously her students worked with children at the Cincinnati Public Schools’ Academy of Multilingual Immersion Studies (AMIS), which serves children who are native speakers of French and Spanish.

That was part of $20,000 in the first year of funding awarded to UC in 2010 to support four new service-learning courses, followed by $15,000 awarded to UC to support three courses in 2011. Jacquez was awarded funding through all three years of the grant.

Service Learning at UC

UC defines service learning as a specifically designed learning experience in which students combine reflection with structured participation in community based projects to achieve specific learning goals. This participation at the local, national or international level helps students gain a richer mastery of their course content, enhances their sense of civic responsibility and helps students connect classroom theory with practice, ideas, values and the community.
Located within the Division of Professional Practice, UC’s Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement supports and helps coordinate campus-community partnerships.

About Pay It Forward

Funding for the Pay It Forward Program is made possible through the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The corporation is the nation’s largest grant funder supporting service and volunteering. Through Senior Corps and AmeriCorps the corporation provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their country and their community while addressing critical community needs.