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Political Science Students Support the Community with Grants

Published May 30, 2017

Students in this spring’s Political Science Senior Seminar course made an impact on their community. Last week they presented two local nonprofit organizations with grants for $2,500 each. Students chose The Wellspring and Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Louisiana as recipients of the grants to support their programs.

The University of Louisiana Monroe is one of only 43 universities across the country to partner with the Learning by Giving Foundation to provide this experiential philanthropy opportunity. In the course, students learned about how nonprofit organizations work. Students then used this knowledge to collectively select which local organizations should receive the grant, based on attributes like need, accountability, and effectiveness.

“The students did a magnificent job in identifying high performing nonprofit organizations in our community. The organizations the students chose represent hard work by the students to ensure the funds would have the most impact,” said Dr. Leigh Hersey, Assistant Professor of Political Science and course instructor.

Students conducted site visits, interviewed leaders, and researched financial information to determine the needs and strengths of the organizations they nominated. Students presented the five finalists for consideration for the grants.

“It is good to be able to use my education immediately and have such a great impact on our community” said Meghan Risinger, a student in the course. 


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