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Community Programs for Student Success

University Outreach and Public Service Programs

Are you a community member looking for consultation services, youth camps, and other resources? Or a Bobcat looking to get involved? ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ offers a multitude of outreach and public service programs.

Arts & Culture

  • Athens Community Music School is truly community-wide in mission and in scope as it is the principal source of organized and qualified music instruction in southeast Ohio and portions of West Virginia. They offer individual private lessons in piano, woodwind, brass, percussion, and stringed instruments as well as voice. They offer group instruction in a variety of areas based on factors including availability of qualified instructors, sequence of instruction, and interest of participants. Financial assistance supports participation in music lessons, courses, and ensembles at the Athens Community Music School for families and individuals in Southeast Ohio with the desire to enrich their lives with music, but who are struggling financially.
  •  has been presenting the best in international film for five decades. Known globally as a festival that supports cinema from underground and marginalized populations, the AIFVF represents the values that we share as a community. It is a champion of justice and provides a voice for underrepresented artists and viewpoints on a global level. For five decades, Athens International has embraced experimental, narrative, short-form, feature length, and documentary films from every corner of the globe, offering filmmakers a stellar platform for public exposure and an environment that values artistry above marquee names and industry relationships.
  • Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, is celebrated each February in the United States. It recognizes the significant achievements made by the African American community in all aspects of American society. Activities and events all center around cultural, social, educational and spiritual programs.
  • National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each September 15 - October 15 in the United States of America to recognize the contributions made by people of Hispanic descent and to celebrate Hispanic culture. Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15 because it is the anniversary of five (5) Latin American countries’ Independence Day: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico, Chile, and Belize celebrate their independence days. Activities include an opening reception, lectures, panel discussion and movies.
  • National Native American Heritage Month showcases the rich culture of the native people of this land, and to honor those American Indians that have suffered injustice. Each year, the Office of Multicultural Programs (MCP) and the student organization Native Peoples Awareness Coalition (NPAC) plan various programs and activities to highlight the American Indian culture.
  • Ohio Valley Center for Collaborative Arts (CoArts), in the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts, is a centralized community engagement research hub focused on building strategic cross- sector partnerships between the college, the OHIO campus, and regional communities, while creating applied learning opportunities for faculty and students. By connecting OHIO’s creative resources with such networks, CoArts seeks to ensure that the arts, design, and other expressive cultural activities are included in discussions about economic and quality of life growth in the region.
  • Tantrum Theater seeks to connect and impact the SE Ohio community through educational outreach and culturally diverse innovative programming that encompasses multiple theatrical disciplines, develop new work and offer new points of view on classic stories that have contemporary relevance, and offer opportunities for intercultural exchange.
  • The Kennedy Lecture Series was established in 1962 by a gift from OHIO alumni and stalwart supporters Edwin L. and Ruth Kennedy. The Kennedy Lecture Series aims to bring speakers who appeal to a broad cross-section of the OHIO community to the Athens Campus to discuss significant issues in American life. All events are free and open to the public.
  • The Kennedy Museum of Art, as an academic museum with a teaching mission, the Museum provides ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ students, faculty and staff, as well as the greater community, with engaging and thought-provoking encounters. The permanent collections form the core of exhibitions and programs. The collections include: Southwest Native American textiles, ceramics and jewelry; American paintings; drawings and photography; contemporary prints; ceramics and sculpture. Selected works within the collections have been featured in important national and international exhibitions. Exhibitions, programs and events are designed to acknowledge that art is best experienced when presented in a contextual and interdisciplinary environment. To that end, the Museum serves as a learning laboratory for ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ, community schools and visitors.
  • The Performing Arts and Concert Series holds a multitude of events throughout the year that are available to the general public.
  • WOUB Center for Public Media provides local content that would not be possible without the regular partnership and collaboration with community partners. From regional voices on local news and community leaders hosting or featured on radio and podcasts, the content relies on community involvement on a daily basis. Some specific recent examples include:
    • Over 25 different Ohio co-hosts on episodes of , and a 54-part special series  featuring entrepreneurship and innovation in SE Ohio. Community members are also among the hosts of Conversations from Studio B.
    • Partnership with Media Arts & Studies instructor Josh Antonuccio and students to produce the  from the Nelsonville Music Festival, an annual event by nonprofit Stuart’s Opera House.

Athletics & Recreation

  • The  offers a multitude of sporting events that are available to the general public to attend.
  • Campus Recreation offers fee-based community memberships to adults and children for use of the Aquatic Center; Bird Ice Arena; Charles J. Ping Recreation Center; Golf Course and Driving Range; Tennis Center; and Walter Fieldhouse. This includes options for birthday parties and large groups. Youth training programs are also available for golf, hockey, tennis, ice skating, and swimming.

Community Education

  • The 60+ Program (All Campuses): Qualifying students, meaning any person who is sixty years of age or older and who has resided in the state for at least one year, may attend any state college or University without paying "tuition or matriculation" fees. This program is available only for regular classroom undergraduate courses offered on the Athens and regional campuses and only if space is available in the course. Registration will be processed only after priority registration for other students is completed.
  • The Stevens Literacy Center works on improving lives by researching, developing and promoting literacy across the lifespan and is engaged in community outreach in numerous, diverse relationships with local schools, businesses, and other community agencies. The Stevens Literacy Center houses:
    • Helen M. Robinson Center for Reading, which provides tutoring for K-12 children in the region to improve reading motivation and skills.
    • The OHIO Career Ready Campus, which provides FREE workforce and career development programs to adult learners aged sixteen and older. These programs include adult basic education, GED preparation, workforce literacy, and workforce readiness, transition to post-secondary education, ESOL and civics education, and correctional education. Courses offered through the OHIO Career Ready Campus are designed to provide opportunities for adult learners to develop the knowledge and expertise needed to successfully (re)enter the workforce.
    • College Preparation Programs providing potential college students with readiness and support services for a healthy transition to college.

Community Health & Wellness

  • Breast and Cervical Cancer Screenings are provided with support from the Breast and Cervical Cancer Projects of Southeast Ohio to provide free women's health services and education to women ages 40-65 and others that qualify. Services are offered at Heritage Community Clinic in Athens and on the Mobile Health Unit that travels throughout Southeastern Ohio. The goal is to decrease late breast cancer diagnosis rates by offering free health screenings, vouchers for mammograms to qualifying women and referrals as needed.
  • Collaborative for Rural Primary Care, Research, Education, And Practice (Rural PREP) The mission of the Collaborative for Rural Primary care, Research, Education and Practice (Rural PREP) is to improve and sustain rural health through community engagement and research in rural primary care health professions education. Rural PREP exists to improve and sustain the education of primary care providers for rural practice. Rural PREP exists to improve and sustain the education of primary care providers for rural practice. Rural PREP is building a scholarly community of practice that is evidenced-based, community-engaged, and practice-informed, leveraging existing collaborative relationships and adding new ones. Rural PREP brings together educators, researchers, and practitioners to create a platform for sharing evidence-based practices, generate new ideas for research and evaluation of rural primary care training, promote scholarly activity, and translate evidence into educational practice.
  • COMCorps is the Heritage College’s AmeriCorps program that places up to 17 national service members in Athens County in Ohio. COMCorps members create and support social and physical environments that promote good health and wellness for all. Major focuses of the program include food insecurity, nutrition education and emotional support for individuals living with chronic stress. If you are interested in learning more about national service, please contact Olivia Degitz at degitz@ohio.edu.
  • Community Health Worker Certification Training (CHWCT): The College of Health Sciences and Professions works in collaborative partnership with the Athens City-County Health Department to facilitate this six-week training. CHWCT is offered free of charge to students and community members interested in becoming certified community health care workers. Contact: Kerri Shaw shawk@ohio.edu
  • Diabetes Community Partners is a community-engaged coalition developed by the Diabetes Institute and made of individuals with diabetes. They gather input from this coalition to inform programming and provide feedback on how investigators can engage the community in research. Diabetes Community Partners acts as a peer support group for community members with diabetes.
  • Family Navigator Program is a team of registered nurses who provide free intensive care navigation, education and support for Medicaid-eligible pregnant women and teens through the Pathways to a Healthy Pregnancy program. RN navigators assist their clients with linkages to social services such as WIC, home visiting, housing/shelter, food assistance, childcare and more. Assistance with medical needs can also be provided, including referrals for assistance with substance use disorder, mental health, dental care and pediatrics.
  • Free Diabetes Clinic is provided monthly to qualifying low-income, uninsured and under- insured adults 18-64. Free blood tests, foot exams, eye screenings and education are provided to the diabetic patients. Prescription vouchers and medication assistance is offered to qualifying patients through the free clinic and pharmaceutical companies.
  • Healthy Adult Program provides routine screenings to help prevent serious health problems. Free Healthy Adult Program screenings include: blood pressure, blood sugar, total cholesterol, and total lipid profile. These screenings are provided in community settings and can be provided in workplaces upon request.
  • HeartWorks in conjunction with Ohio Health O’Bleness Hospital is offering this cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program; massage therapy; nutrition counseling; personal training; and risk reduction classes.
  • Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute is a Healthy Living Initiative working with communities in southern Ecuador to construct a Chagas disease prevention model that addresses the interrelated social, economic, and political factors driving the disease. If proven successful, the model will serve as a transferrable approach for effectively preventing Chagas and other diseases of poverty, improving health, and expanding opportunities for people whose potential is now restricted by this disease. Helping citizens of the three communities to find funds to build better houses that are resistant to infestation of triatomines as well as other insects.
  • The Immunization Program helps keep children and adults in the region healthy by giving them immunizations to protect against preventable diseases such as polio, rubella, pertussis, flu, and COVID-19, among others. Children ages birth to 19 can receive free immunizations if eligible. Adult immunizations are provided at low or no-cost, depending on the immunization requested.
  • The Heritage Community Clinic offers free primary and specialty care to qualifying adults age 18-64 in Southeast Ohio counties. Clinics offered include primary care, diabetes care, and OMM. Referrals are provided to other health care providers as need, as well as assistance in obtaining medications and supplies for qualifying patients. A student-run free primary care clinic, The Care Clinic, operates once a month on Saturdays.
  • The Mobile Health Clinic plays an important role in providing quality medical care services to residents of southeast Ohio. Two 40-foot mobile clinics from the Heritage College's Community Health Programs travel throughout southeast Ohio, providing clinics at churches, community centers, schools, and more. The mobile clinic is used for the following: primary care, women’s health, immunization clinics for children and adults, adult health screenings, and school bus driver physicals for public school systems by arrangement.
  • Childhood Hearing & Vision Screenings are provided in support of school nurses across the region. These screenings are performed by trained, certified nurses, and referrals for proper treatment and diagnosis are made.
  • WellWorks is OHIO’s wellness program that offers membership to University and community members. Services include a fitness center; group fitness classes.

Library Services

  • Alden Library offers all residents of Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Morgan, Perry, Vinton, and Washington Counties, as well as all OHIO alumni, community member library cards. Community borrowers must be at least 18 years old; those under 18 may be registered on the card of a parent or guardian. Public school students visiting the library as part of a course may also obtain a temporary library card.
  •  is the oldest scholarly publisher in Ohio. Since its founding it has developed into a leading publisher of books about Africa, Appalachia, Southeast Asia, and the Midwest, and many other topics. The vast majority of authors published are non-ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ affiliated. Each year, the Press facilitates workshops and mentorship support to prepare authors for publication all at no cost.

Professional & Career Development

  • The Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools (CORAS), in partnership with the College of Education, is an organization of 110 school districts and other educational institutions in the 32-county region of Ohio designated as Appalachia. School districts in neighboring counties, institutions of higher education and related organizations may become members of the Coalition. The mission of the Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools is to advocate for and support the public schools of Appalachia Ohio in the continuous improvement of educational opportunities available to all the region's children.
  • The ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ Leadership Project (OULP) represents an initiative for the professional development of school leaders. The OULP has as its purpose the identification, development, and implementation of needed professional development programs for school leaders. Ongoing programs for elementary principals, secondary principals, superintendents, and treasurers have been conducted by the OULP.
  • The OHIO Career Ready Campus: The OHIO Career Ready Campus provides FREE workforce and career development programs to adult learners aged sixteen and older. These programs include adult basic education, GED preparation, workforce literacy, and workforce readiness, transition to post-secondary education, ESOL and civics education, and correctional education. Courses offered through the OHIO Career Ready Campus are designed to provide opportunities for adult learners to develop the knowledge and expertise needed to successfully (re)enter the workforce.

Technical Assistance: Private & Public Sector

  • Consultation services, Facilitation and Strategic Planning are areas of competencies at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service. Skilled facilitators fill a key role in improving organizational performance, innovation, and productivity. Facilitators assist organizations in the process of planning and decision- making during meetings, retreats and other planning sessions. At large community meetings they help guide the communication process between agencies and community members or consumers. The Voinovich School utilizes the Skilled Facilitator Approach, a nationally recognized model for facilitation and strategic planning developed by ©Roger Schwartz and Associates, Inc. Contact: Dr. Lesli Johnson johnsol2@ohio.edu, 740-593-9739
  •  partners with Ohio communities to leverage ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ resources in order to build a more vibrant economic future. The Center works in partnership with economic development districts (EDDs), JobsOhio, the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, and others, to bring considerable resources of the Voinovich School to help communities in Ohio address critical challenges of building competitive and resilience economies.
  • Evaluation Support: The Voinovich School has extensive experience in program evaluation and the development of performance measurement systems to help expand the capacity of organizations at the local and state level. Using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the School offers evaluation services to meet the needs of state agencies, health care providers, community agencies, school districts, foundations and local government. Related services provided by the Voinovich School include assessment of program effectiveness, design of program objectives, development of self-evaluation mechanisms, establishment of benchmark indicators and integration of performance measures throughout the planning, development and implementation of services. The evaluation staff includes individuals with specialized skills in the fields of statistics, education, public health, computer science, social work, political science and public administration. In addition, the School’s technology resources allow for cutting-edge services in the areas of geographic information systems, statistical analysis, survey execution and analysis, and database development and management. Contact: Dr. Lesli Johnson johnsol2@ohio.edu, 740.593.9739.
  •  provides technical assistance and training to companies interested in selling to government agencies such as the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State and the Interior. The goal is to help connect small business representatives to administrators from NASA, their prime contractors, and other government agencies interested in purchasing their products and services. This is critical because federal agencies are mandated to spend 23 percent of their funds purchasing from small businesses.
  •  (SBDC) offers training and technical assistance to small businesses in 13 southeast Ohio counties. The OHIO SBDC was recently named the top-performing center of the year in a six-state region.
  • Social Enterprise Ecosystem (SEE) personalizes business development tools to meet the needs of organizations that seek to both generate a profit and promote a social or environmental mission, such as Habitat for Humanity.
  •  provides technical and financing assistance to technology companies in southeast Ohio, creating nearly 700 jobs and $444 million in economic activity over the last ten years.
  • provides opportunities for students to explore intellectual curiosities about consumer marketing through company-sponsored consumer research projects. The Consumer Research Center offers a broad range of services to corporate and small-business clients that includes projects such as Brand Assessments, Product Testing, Ad Testing, and Concept Testing & Refinement, among others.
  • The Innovation Center provides direct service to product-based businesses and startups across the region, and provides technical assistance to communities who are building/fostering their own business incubation services, makerspaces, and workforce development programs. The Innovation Center offers the community access to the equipment in the Additive Manufacturing Lab for a fee as well as biotechnology equipment in its Biotechnology Research & Development Facility. 

Technology

  •  serves as an innovative and creative center for students, staff, and faculty research and project development. This frequently involves community partners, and the GRID Lab provides multiple opportunities through open-house and educational events to engage with community partners. Examples include: partnerships with physicians and researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio who visited the GRID Lab to experience health care VR projects. This meeting eventually led to a pilot 360-video project produced with them. A Coding Camp lecture was held for middle school-aged girls on virtual reality and game development. 

Youth Outreach: K-12

  • College Bound (formally Upward Bound) located in The Patton College of Education, College Bound provides Athens and Vinton County High School students who are potential first-generation college students with readiness skills and support services that cultivate resilience, confidence, and preparation for a healthy and successful transition to a postsecondary institution upon high school graduation. College Bound is designed to provide academic support as well as personal and cognitive development. Students receive assistance in preparing for the ACT/SAT, college applications, financial aid, and many more areas regarding academic and personal success.
  • The OHIO Mentor Project serves high school students residing in Southeastern Ohio communities affected by the opioid crisis. The Athens Campus assists students from Vinton County, while OHIO’s regional campuses work with students from their nearby communities. Through service learning and targeted mentoring provided by Patton College students, the Vinton County mentees receive support in identifying and successfully navigating pathways to postsecondary education.
  • The Helen M. Robinson Center for Reading is a community tutoring center located in the Stevens Literacy Center. The Helen M. Robinson Center for Reading reopened in the summer of 2017 to provide assessment and literacy tutoring to K-12 children in our region. The tutors are aspiring teachers dedicated to helping children in areas of reading and writing.
  • Kids on Campus is a rural community-university partnership that empowers underserved, at-risk children and their families in the realization of their full potential through educational, nutritional, and recreational opportunit