Fall 2023 Semester Review
As 2023 draws to a close, the Office of University Experiential Learning reflects on our achievements and the progress we’ve made toward our goals for UGA’s Experiential Learning initiative.
Experiential Learning on Campus
Over the summer, the Office of University Experiential Learning welcomed the Class of 2027 at New Student Orientation, greeting returning students at classroom presentations and resource fairs. In September, EL team members Annelise Norman (Scholarships & Public Relations) and Kay Stanton (Assistant Director) led new workshops for faculty and staff through the Center for Teaching and Learning and Learning & Development Center. Norman and Stanton successfully developed and delivered an advisor workshop, now incorporated into the Certificate in Academic Advising curriculum. Meanwhile, Amy Sweet (Sr. Manager, Business Development) led the establishment of a mission statement and goals for the Internship Forum, a UGA campus collaborative focused on work-integrated learning opportunities.
Housed within the Office of University Experiential Learning, the Student Industry Fellows Program completed 7 projects this semester. Under the leadership of Andrew Potter (Director), Fellows collaborated with thought leaders on innovative solutions for industry giants such as Cox Enterprises, Chick-fil-A, OTR Solutions, and more. Notably, four Fellows were accepted into the Stanford University Innovation Fellows Program, which involved leadership training at Stanford’s prestigious d.School to create new opportunities for their peers to engage with innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking, and creativity.
Fellows Lee Tran, Dylan Balon, Garrett Stigall, Shane Hoey, and Shivani Patel collaborated with OTR Solutions on a data strategy project during the fall semester.
Expanding EL Opportunities
During the fall semester, the University Curriculum Committee approved 12 non-credit activities for the Experiential Learning requirement. Ranging from internships and leadership roles to global service and volunteering opportunities, these activities cater to numerous majors. Additionally, 15 students participated in the Experiential Learning Internship Program, gaining critical skills and competencies through internships with government agencies, private businesses, and non-profit organizations.
In collaboration with the Office of Global Education, we launched Connect Abroad, a new, short-duration format for study away experiences. These programs are designed exclusively for first-year students to travel to Cuba, Morocco, Italy, or the UK over UGA’s Spring Break in March 2024. 111 students were accepted into the first cohort of Connect Abroad participants.
Scholarships for Experiential Learning
A total of 98 students received Experiential Learning scholarships to pursue approved activities during the summer, and 18 students received support for fall semester activities. 86 students were awarded a total of $210,000 for upcoming Experiential Learning activities during the Fall 2023 scholarship application cycle. We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Ready to Thrive Scholarship program, a need-based scholarship supporting up to 90 percent of eligible students’ high-impact Experiential Learning activities.
Engaging the Field of Experiential Education
During the fall semester, Andrew Potter (Director) presented at the Society for Experiential Education’s annual conference and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) annual conference. Potter’s presentation at SEE 2023 focused on best practices for academic and corporate partnerships. This was his second year serving on the SEE Board of Directors. He was joined at SEE 2023 by team members Amy Sweet and Annelise Norman, who completed additional coursework for their Experiential Education Academy certifications while attending the conference. At SACSCOC, Potter proposed approaches to reimagining experiential education in alignment with the conference theme of “Imagine New Paths Forward: Building Stronger Community Networks through Curiosity and Visualization.”
Another enriching organization the EL team is involved in is the Georgia Association of Colleges and Employers (GACE). As an active an engaged member of GACE, Amy Sweet was recently inducted into the GACE Leadership Institute (GLI). The GLI seeks to cultivate and develop the next generation of great leaders in Georgia through targeted professional development programming and leadership opportunities.
Our Commitment
In addition to expanding equitable opportunities for experiential learning, the EL Team demonstrates their commitment to supporting undergraduate students by constantly working to innovate, improve processes, and develop as professionals. Between Summer and Fall 2023, the EL Team acquired new platforms for scholarship management and administration, a CRM to streamline partner relationships, and a cloud-based project management system for team collaboration. These tools have already proven to increase our efficiency and scalability.
As we witness the continuous growth and evolution of the undergraduate community, the Office of University Experiential Learning stands ready to adapt and support our students’ changing needs. We will continue to expand existing programs, create new work-integrated learning opportunities, and forge ahead with scholarship programs to ensure students have access to transformative experiential education.
Annelise Norman holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Georgia, where she currently works as the Scholarships & Public Relations Coordinator for the Office of Experiential Learning. Annelise can be contacted at anorm94@uga.edu. For the latest news and announcements from EL, follow us on Instagram.