Mini-grant program enhances engagement with first-year students
The Enhancing First-Year Student and Faculty Engagement Mini-Grant program offers instructors up to $1,000 annually to fund activities that foster engagement with first-year students. The program supports learning through hands-on, real-world experiences.
Henry Gorsuch, '26 | October 9, 2024
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Instructors in any department may apply up to a $1,000 grant per year for engagement activities with their first-year students. This offers resources to create impactful learning experiences that can create a lasting foundation for students.
The university’s Enhancing First-Year Student and Faculty Engagement Mini-Grant Program bridges the gap between first-year students and faculty.
“This mini-grant allowed us to create community among first-year students in a way that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.” Said Dr. Christine Camper Moore, an assistant professor of dance at OHIO.
Instructors used the mini-grant in creative ways to form stronger relationships with their students. These experiences help students transition into college life, build community and gain exposure to their future careers. The program encourages faculty to think beyond traditional teaching methods, enriching first-year students' education with hands-on, real-world experiences.
Experiential learning through the mini-grant
Dr. Moore used the mini-grant for a school-wide trip to Columbus.
“This grant allowed myself and one of my dance colleagues to take all first-year dance majors to the Complexions Contemporary theater performance,” she said.
The students got to see a professional dance company, discuss the performance and bond with each other.
“Students could really see themselves represented on the stage and think about how that looks for them as a potential career,” Moore said.
In a similar project, another professor used the mini-grant to take both musical theater and dance students to see the Broadway tour of Company in Columbus.
“Not everybody can go to New York City to see Broadway... it was really great for students to be exposed to,” said Anthony Alterio, an assistant professor of instruction in the School of Dance and the School of Theatre.
He noted that this experience was crucial for students because many of them hadn’t seen a professional production before. It allowed them to break out of their comfort zones and broaden their perspective of theater.
I really appreciate that the grant allowed an opportunity to make that kind of space possible and to give students agency and power,
Making connections and enhancing the first-year experience
The mini-grant program is instrumental in creating opportunities for first-year students to build relationships and immerse themselves in their fields of interest. By funding unique experiences, the program helps students connect with peers and faculty outside the traditional classroom environment.
“This mini-grant was just really great to get students to experience something that they otherwise would not,” Alterio said. Bringing these students together not only enriched their education but also established a sense of community.
Moore agreed with this sentiment and recognized the importance of empowering students early in their academic careers.
Alterio’s students seeing Company at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus.