Campus News Georgia Impact

Poverty, economy research grants recipients announced

The Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach has awarded five grants under the Poverty and the Economy Faculty Research Grants ­Program.

Sponsored by the University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc., the grants program provides seed funding to support and encourage applied research and creative scholarship related to poverty and the economy in Georgia.

For this year’s award winners, particular emphasis was placed on how the university can address the public policies that enhance or limit an individual’s ability to participate fully in the economy.

“These grants reflect UGA’s commitment to assist academic and service faculty as they undertake and collaborate on new research that deals with issues associated with persistent poverty in Georgia and beyond,” said Art Dunning, UGA vice president for public service and outreach. “In addition, these projects build upon UGA’s research, teaching and service traditions, and have the potential to attract extramural support.”

Grant award amounts range from $16,000 to $24,000 for the 2006-2007 program. Grant recipients are:

  • Rich Clark, Institute of Government, Larry Nackerud, School of Social Work, Sharon Gibson and Sue Chapman, College of Family and Consumer sciences, “The Impact of Poverty Simulations on Attitudes about and Perceptions of Poverty;”
  • Lee Johnson, child and family development, “The Effectiveness of Life Skills Literacy;”
  • Bonnie Cramond, educational psychology and instructional technology, “Stopping the Cycle of Poverty through Dropout Prevention;”
  • Jerry Gale, child and family development, “Creating a Conjoint Financial Counseling and Couple Counseling Treatment Model for Couples on the Threshold of Poverty;” and
  • Anne Sweaney, Karen Tinsley and Tom Rodgers, housing and consumer economics, “Manufactured Housing: Expanding Housing Options for Georgia’s Families.”