UNC Chapel Hill: APPLES Service-Learning Program: For Students


	Annual Awards Service-Learning Award \| Community Partner Excellence Award Teaching Excellence Award \| Undergraduate Excellence Award APPLES provides annual awards to faculty, community partners, students, alumni and supporters who have made outstanding and significant contributions to service-learning at UNC. APPLES Service-Learning Award in Honor of Ned Brooks Established in 2001, the APPLES Service-Learning Award recognizes the sustained and on-going commitment of a student, faculty member, staff, or community partner who has addressed the concerns and needs of North Carolina communities. Recipients of the APPLES Service-Learning Award have been involved with the APPLES Program for a minimum of two years, have demonstrated a sustained commitment to service-learning, and are dedicated to positive community impact through service. 2008 Recipient Jim [‘71] and Jean [‘70] Ueltschi The 2008 recipients of the APPLES Service- Learning Award in honor of Ned Brooks are Jim [‘71] and Jean [‘70] Ueltschi. Since 1998, Jim and Jean Ueltschi have supported service- learning at UNC by providing funding for course development grants for faculty. 65 faculty have received these grants, developing 64 courses and engaging over 2700 undergraduate students. The Ueltschi funding has been the single most important factor in the increase and breadth of service-learning at UNC. Meet former Service-Learning Award recipients Community Partner Excellence Award Established in 2004, the Community Partner Excellence Award honors the vital contribution of a community partner who provides unique and valuable service experiences for students. Recipients of the Community Partner Excellence Award have been involved with the APPLES Service-Learning Program for a minimum of two years, have demonstrated a sustained commitment to service-learning, and are dedicated to enhancing student learning in both the academic and community setting. 2008 Recipient Student Action with Farmworkers The recipient of the 2008 APPLES Community Partner Excellence Award is Student Action with Farmworkers [SAF]. Since 1992, SAF has provided countless service-learning opportunities for students to explore issues of human rights, social justice, power, and privilege. SAF and its staff are involved with multiple facets of APPLES, including the Courses and Internships programs, and the Advisory Board and Community Partner Council. Through the Summer Internship with SAF’s Into the Fields Program, student interns are placed in migrant farmworker camps throughout North and South Carolina to explore health issues, advocacy, and community organizing as it relates to the farmworker population. The partnership between SAF and APPLES is proof of the reciprocity, activism, and education that service-learning opportunities can encompass. Meet former Community Partner Excellence recipients Teaching Excellence Award Established in 2004, the Teaching Excellence Award honors a faculty member who thoroughly integrates service experiences into academic curriculum while inspiring students to make significant contributions in the community and the classroom. Recipients of the Teaching Excellence Award have been involved with the APPLES Service-Learning Program for a minimum of two years, have demonstrated a sustained commitment to service-learning, and are dedicated to positive community impact through service. 2008 Recipient Dr. Joel Schwartz Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science Adjunct Professor, Department of Public Policy University Professor of Distinguished Teaching at UNC The 2008 recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award is Joel Schwartz, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Public Policy and University Professor of Distinguished Teaching at UNC. Joel was one of the founding service-learning faculty who provided early and ongoing support of APPLES and service-learning through his role as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. During his tenure, Dr. Schwartz taught at least one service-learning course per semester, including well-known courses American Health Care: Policy and Politics and Race, Poverty and Politics. He was also one of the first recipients of the Ueltschi Service-Learning Course Development Grant in 1998. APPLES founders could point to Joel’s courses as proof of the value of service-learning. Students have always defined meaning for Dr. Schwartz in his work as a professor. He cares deeply about his influence as a teacher on the lives of students. Meet former Teaching Excellence recipients Undergraduate Service-Learning Excellence Award Established in 2008, the Undergraduate Service-Learning Excellence Award honors the significant contributions to service by participants of the APPLES program who make undeniably profound impacts on the campus, regional, and global communities they serve. 2008 Recipient Jabeen Ahmad The 2008 recipient of the Undergraduate Service-Learning Excellence Award is Jabeen Ahmad, a Senior Journalism and Anthropology double major, as well as a Johnston scholar and Public Service Scholar. She is interested in international affairs, politics, and social justice, particularly empowering women and advocating for their rights. Jabeen has been committed through multiple programs to APPLES and broader service-learning experiences in communities. As a reflection facilitator, she carried a heavy load of reflection facilitation and later, as a CBR fellow, Jabeen combined her academic and research interests with communities. During her AFB Outer Banks and ASB Latino Issues experiences, Jabeen has been able to offer a unique perspective on issues relating to complex social problems. In addition to her involvement with APPLES, Jabeen helped to create Women’s Experiences, Learning, and Leadership [W.E.L.L.], a living-learning community in McIver Residence Hall focused on creating dialogue on women’s experiences and helping foster the growth of Carolina women through leadership and community. She is the Center Director for the Roosevelt Institutions’ Center on Women’s Affairs and Advocacy and has worked on policy issues regarding child care, equal pay, criminal justice and female circumcision. After graduating from UNC, Jabeen hopes to combine her passion for writing and belief that words can make a large impact with her activism to raise awareness for human rights and help change the world.