Experiential Student Philanthropy

This volume showcases effective teaching practices and the broader academic benefits of student philanthropy, focussing on the innovative pedagogy of Northern Kentucky University's Mayerson Student Philanthropy, a pioneering community engagement initiative that integrates experiential philanthropy across diverse disciplines to enhance student success.

In 1999, Northern Kentucky University introduced student experiential philanthropy with the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project (MSPP). Each MSPP class is given grant money to invest in a local nonprofit with the goal of deepening student learning outcomes through the community engagement initiative. Drawing its findings from the program’s success, the book first covers the history and theory of student philanthropy and experiential learning, and subsequent chapters explore funding variations, community and K-12 education partnerships, service combined with philanthropy as well as different course levels (upper and lower division) and course delivery methods (hybrid, in person, online). Each chapter features specific, tangible examples of creative pedagogy to inform and inspire readers to consider in their own research and teaching. A conclusion sets out how student philanthropy programs can be implemented at other institutions, touching on the challenges of funding and conflicts of interest, with a case study from another US university.

In a higher education environment with increasing competition for students and funding, this book demonstrates how resources can be allocated effectively to improve both student and community outcomes. Student Experiential Philanthropy provides an evidence-based resource for faculty seeking to increase teaching effectiveness or explore new active, experiential pedagogical initiatives in their classrooms.

Megan Downing, Ed.D., is an Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership. Her scholarly activities have focused on leadership education and development, teamwork, impostor phenomenon, service learning, student philanthropy, and online education with work published in the International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior, Journal of Leadership Education, Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, and Journal of College Student Retention.
Kajsa C. Larson, Ph.D. is a Professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Northern Kentucky University. Dr. Larson served as the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project campus-wide faculty coordinator for eight years and has taught nine Spanish classes with this approach.
Shauna Reilly, PhD. is currently a Regents’ Professor of Political Science and Assistant Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement at Northern Kentucky University. She completed her master’s degree in professional politics and her PhD in American politics at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA.