Innovation Grants awarded by the Hastings College Foundation Board of Trustees will help students connect with community partners for service projects, discover their personal strengths through Gallup testing and use technology in and out of the classroom, among other high-impact activities.
At its meeting April 5, the Foundation Board awarded Trustee Innovation Grants totaling more than $43,000 for 11 faculty and staff projects that will enrich campus life, improve teaching and learning and help ensure student success. Grants ranged from $1,698 to $5,000.
Kim West Dinsdale, board chair, provided major funding through the estate of her son, Jackson Dinsdale, who attended Hastings College from 2010 until his death in 2014. Additional funding came from other donors.
Grants awarded include:
- Laura Arnold, resident director, “Hastings Habitudes,” $4,000
- Dr. Amy Black, professor of economics, and Dr. Darci Karr, assistant professor of teacher education, “International Society for Technology in Education Certification,” $1,698
- Valerie Bren, coordinator of vocation and career services, “Gallup Clifton Strengths Initiative at Hastings College,” $5,000
- Nick Dinan, assistant professor of exercise science, and Brett Wells, assistant professor of PE and human performance, “Human Performance Internship Program,” $5,000
- Dr. Louie Eckhardt, assistant professor of music, “Mary Bowden and Seraph Brass – Artist in Residence,” $5,000
- Dr. Brett Erickson, associate professor of visual arts, and Sara Gevurtz, assistant professor of visual arts, “Anamorphic and Illustrative Vinyl Designs and Installations,” $5,000
- Dr. Neil Heckman, professor of chemistry, “Enhancing the Outdoor Space on Campus,” $3,000
- Dr. Jean Heriot, professor of religion and sociology and director of service learning, “Hastings College 2.0 Workshops, Training and Reception for Community Partners,” $2,630
- Kimberly Milovac, director of first-year experience, “Student Leadership Development Camp,” $5,000
- Dr. Amy Morris, professor of biology and director of continuous improvement, “Connecting Faculty to Continuous Improvement of Teaching and Learning in Hastings College 2.0,” $2,000
- Alicia O’Donnell, alumni engagement and annual fund director, “Emergency Scholarship Fund,” $5,000
Hastings College is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Hastings College has been named among “Great Schools, Great Prices” by U.S. News & World Report and a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
