About

History

The Service Learning Initiative (SLI) is a joint initiative of the University of Arkansas Provost Office, the Honors College, and the Division of Student Affairs with the purpose of formalizing and expanding service learning opportunities on campus.  In 2014, Jennie Popp, Ph.D (Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness) and Angela Oxford (Center for Community Engagement) were appointed as Co-Chairs of the SLI to oversee the academic and community partner facets of Service Learning for the University of Arkansas.

In order to improve SLI outreach, Dr. Jennie Popp then requested that the Provost (Dr. Sharon Gaber) appoint a committee that represented all sides of campus. By May 2014, members were drawn from each university college, as well as Honors College, International Education/Study Abroad office, the Law School, University libraries, Graduate School, and the Teaching and Faculty Support Center -- with all committee members having commitment to Service Learning. The purpose of this committee is to organize and enhance service learning at the University of Arkansas.  As part of their duties, SLI committee members assist with faculty course designation. Every semester (and, if necessary, multiple times during a given semester), all course designation applications are reviewed by committee members who then vote whether they should each be designated. They also select winners of the annual SLI faculty award as well as the recipients of the annual faculty travel and development grants. 

FUll Committee

For more information or questions, please contact your representative below:

Fay Jones School of Architecture
Gabriel Diaz Montemayor

J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
Raquel Castro Salas, Ph.D.
rcastros@uark.edu 

College of Education and Health Professions
Sean Connors, Ph.D.
sconnors@uark.edu

College of Engineering
Kevin Hall, Ph.D.
kdhall@uark.edu

Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
Donia Timby
dtimby@uark.edu 

Sam M. Walton College of Business
Rogelio Garcia Contreras, Ph.D.                                            rogeliog@uark.edu

Student Success at The CORD
Jen Edwards, Ph.D.
jre018@uark.edu 

Honors College
Megan Hull
mmh050@uark.edu

School of Law
Annie Smith, J.D.
abs006@uark.edu

Teaching and Faculty Support Center
Hope Ballentine, DNP
hopeb@uark.edu  

University Libraries
Ellen Urton
eurton@uark.edu  

Center for Community Engagement
Claire Allison
cja008@uark.edu

Service Learning Director
Lisa Bowers, Ph.D.
lmbowers@uark.edu

Service Learning Coordinator
Noelle Kingsbauer
svclrn01@uark.edu

Service Learning Social Media Manager
Chloe Regelean
internsl@uark.edu

Committee Leadership

Lisa Bowers

Dr. Lisa Bowers
Director

Dr. Lisa Bowers is the Director of the Service Learning Initiative (SLI) and an associate professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at the University of Arkansas. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communication Disorders from Louisiana State University and her Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Her research focuses on the language and literacy abilities of children from diverse populations, including children with hearing loss and dyslexia. She is a member of several interprofessional research teams with scholars from Deaf Education, Counselor Education, Childhood Education, and Special Education that focus on communication access and best practices in Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Practice (IPP) in educational settings. Dr. Bowers has taught courses with a service learning designation for more than five years and has been a member of the SLI committee since 2020.

lmbowers@uark.edu

Jennie Popp

Dr. Jennie Popp
Past Chair

Dr. Popp is the past Chair of the Service Learning Initiative and Associate Dean of the Honors College. She received a B.S. degree in Economics and Finance (with a minor in French) and an M.S and Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics from Colorado State University. Dr. Popp has been a faculty member of the Department of Agricultural and Economics and Agribusiness since 1998.  She was part of the team of UA faculty that developed and executed UA’s interdisciplinary international service learning course, in Belize.  She co-led the agricultural project in Belize for five years.  Dr. Popp’s interdisciplinary research activities focus on addressing issues of agriculture and the environment.  Dr. Popp has taught a variety of courses for the University of Arkansas, in the areas of natural resource and environmental economics, sustainability, and service learning/community development.

jhpopp@uark.edu

Noelle Kingsbauer

Noelle Kingsbauer
Service Learning Coordinator

Noelle Kingsbauer is the Service Learning Coordinator for the Service Learning Initiative. Noelle is originally from Pennsylvania where she received a B.A. in Communications from Cabrini University. For nearly 10 years she worked in county government for the criminal and civil court systems. She has also volunteered her time as a writer for a local community engagement magazine before relocating to Arkansas. Her passion for giving back to her community as well as social justice make her enthusiastic about being part of the Service Learning Initiative.

svclrn01@uark.edu

Chloe Regelean

Chloe Regelean
Social Media Manager

Chloe Regelean is the Social Media Manager for the Service Learning Initiative. Chloe is originally from Dallas and is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Arkansas, pursuing a B.S. in Marketing with a minor in Information Systems. She is excited to help the Service Learning team highlight students and faculty across campus and serve the community via social media networking. 

internsl@uark.edu