Ouachita’s Elrod Center awards $6,900 for servant leadership projects
April 10, 2026
- Lilly MoseleyThe Ben M. Elrod Center for Family & Community recently announced it has awarded a total of $6,900 through its 2025-2026 Elrod Service Enrichment Grants. This year’s recipients included representatives from the university’s Department of Kinesiology, Department of Nursing, cybersecurity program, Department of History and Hickingbotham School of Business.
“These grants are awarded to facilitate service learning through the classroom,” Judy Duvall, the director of the Elrod Center, said. “Students are able to creatively work through the professor's chosen endeavor to serve the community.”
The grants range in size from $1,000-$1,500, depending on the project’s need. Reagan Hardage, instructor of kinesiology, and Katie Coggins, assistant professor of kinesiology, will use the funds they received to buy therapy equipment for Shine Therapy Inc.
“We provide physical and occupational therapy services to the Arkadelphia community and allow students to observe these treatment sessions,” Hardage said. “The students get to have hands-on experience with the equipment during therapy interventions.”
Similarly, April Morgan, assistant professor of nursing, will use the grant to buy food and materials for Celebrate Recovery, a program that nursing students in the Community Health course volunteer with each year.
“Celebrate Recovery is a Christian-based recovery program for people who have hurts, habits or hang-ups,” Morgan said. “Students help by serving meals, passing out course materials, attending meetings with program participants and adding this group to their prayer list.”
In the introductory course to Ouachita’s brand-new cybersecurity program, students become certified as Tech Caregivers through the National Youth Cyber Education Program. This gives them opportunities to attend events and teach others about safe online practices, security and other vital technical lessons.
“One of our goals in using this grant is to support the program’s ability to reach as many Arkansans as possible and help them become more aware of online dangers and how to combat them,” Scott Anderson, instructor of cybersecurity, said. “I have seen students step up to the challenge of projects and events by leading individuals through informative lessons and using real examples to highlight the importance of cybersecurity in daily life.”
An Elrod Service Enrichment Grant allows students in Ouachita’s Atrocity and Aftermath course to receive hands-on experience in humanitarian aid distribution.
For the Atrocity and Aftermath course in the history department, grant funds provide students with the opportunity to travel and see a distribution warehouse for humanitarian aid.
“This visit is helpful in conceptualizing where donations go and thinking about best practices for how to lead in aid delivery,” Myra Houser, chair of the Department of History and associate professor of history, said.
Johan Eriksson, instructor of business administration, received two grants. The first grant, used for the Business Plan Development course, supports an annual experiential learning project in partnership with Goza Middle School. The other grant enables students in the Social Entrepreneurship course to assemble and deliver prosthetic hands to amputees in need.
According to Duvall, recipients are required to write a report afterwards to summarize the project. Students from each project walk away with a new perspective on service and how to use their skills and knowledge to glorify God.
“Students are challenged to leave the classroom, community and world better than they found them, and experiences like this give us the tools to do that,” said Katy Beth Dunn, a senior business administration major from Mountain Home, Arkansas. “This experience collectively strengthened my confidence, clarified my values and expanded my understanding of what it means to grow as a person and as a member of a community.”
The Ben M. Elrod Center for Family & Community fuels local and global service projects that teach students how to be servant leaders in their fields and communities. To learn more about the Elrod Center and opportunities to serve, visit obu.edu/elrod or contact the Elrod Center at [email protected] or 870-245-5320.
Lead photo by Levi Dade
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