ATLANTA -- On Tuesday Oglethorpe University will officially announce a new initiative to integrate classroom learning with experiences throughout Atlanta, supporting the community while strengthening the university’s academic offerings. The Center for Civic Engagement, funded by an anonymous friend of the university who has committed nearly $1 million, will coordinate Oglethorpe’s initiatives to support faculty and students in ongoing and new efforts to engage the Atlanta community through service minded projects.

Tamara Nash has been named the Oglethorpe’s Center for Civic Engagement inaugural director. A 20-year Atlanta resident, Nash comes to the university from Georgia-Pacific where she spent nearly 10 years as the director of community programs. Prior to this, she spent 10 years as Spelman College’s founding director of community service and mentorship.

Examples of the center’s activities will include: stipends for faculty to develop courses that include a service learning component; support for student internships; financial support for ventures into the city; broadening the OUr Atlanta program; added programmatic support for the Rich Urban Leadership Program; winter and spring break trips to areas in need, such as New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina; ongoing public service initiatives with Atlanta Public Schools, similar institutions or select communities.

A three-year grant will provide Oglethorpe’s Center for Civic Engagement significant support to make the vision of a university fully engaged with its community a reality. “At the heart of a liberal arts education is the exploration of new ways to engage our environment, the preparation for being high-functioning leaders in a democratic society, and the development of a better understanding of our joint obligation to serve society,” said Oglethorpe President Lawrence M. Schall.

Oglethorpe’s service learning environment was created through on- and off-campus relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Katrina with Angel Flight of Georgia, an Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans to assist in the clean-up efforts, a partnership with Atlanta Public Schools for a day of service during Schall’s April inauguration, a day of service at PATH Academy for incoming freshmen during new student orientation and volunteer opportunities during Hands On Atlanta Day.