The Office of Community Engagement supports University of Iowa graduate students through the Graduate Engagement Corps (GEC). The GEC provides graduate students interested in community engagement with training, networking, and funding opportunities to elevate their research and increase their impact in local communities. Publishing, conferences, and professional development workshops further enhance the graduate student experience.
Graduate Engagement Corps 2025 Cohort
The Graduate Engagement Corps (GEC) program provides graduate and professional students with training in critical areas of community engagement, including community-engaged teaching, community-engaged research, and building community partnerships.
OCE will hold the GEC Orientation January 8th-10th of 2025, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm in University Capitol Centre for the 2025 cohort of students. The Orientation offers a three-day introduction to the pillars of community-engaged learning and research.
Students in the GEC will then be able to deploy community engagement best practices and connect with community partners across the state and beyond!
2025 Graduate Engagement Corps (GEC) Members
Name | DEPartment | COLLEGE | Degree program | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Ahmed | Teaching and Learning - Literacy, Culture, and Multilingual Education | College of Education | PhD |
| Jacqueline Banigan | Art History | CLAS | PhD |
| Savannah Bustillo | Fine Arts: Printmaking | CLAS | MA/MFA |
| Olivia Caldera | Epidemiology | College of Public Health | Master of Public Health (MPH) |
| Perla Camacho Jimenez | School of Art, Art History and Design | CLAS | Studio Arts in Ceramics |
| Fwangmun Danladi | Religious Studies | Graduate College | PhD - Religious Studies |
| Jessica Douglass-Eurich | Sociology and Criminology | CLAS | PhD - Sociology |
| Malik Ford | Department of Cinema | CLAS | MFA |
| Kimberly Gardner | School of Music | Graduate College; College of Education | PhD - Music Education |
| Lauren Gil Hayes | School of Social Work | CLAS | PhD - Social Work |
| Hannah Gorsh | Teaching and Learning | College of Education | Literacy, Culture and Language Education |
| Binit Gurung | Anthropology | CLAS | PhD |
| Aimen Hameed | Education Policy and Leadership Studies | College of Education | PhD - Ed Leadership |
| Syed Hashmi | Teaching and Learning | College of Education | PhD - Multilingual Education |
| Derick Juptner | Anthropology | CLAS | PhD - Anthropology |
| Kylie Little | School of Music | CLAS | Doctor of Musical Arts in Viola Performance |
| Ritah Mudhungu | Education Policy and Leadership Studies | College of Education | HESA |
| Akinwale Oladimeji | Geography | CLAS | PhD |
| Godwin Paintsil | Music Education | CLAS | PhD - Music Education |
| Milica Pavlovic | Human Toxicology Program, Non-Departmental | Graduate College | PhD - Human Toxicology |
| Kara Rash | Teaching and Learning | College of Education | PhD - Language, Culture, and Literature |
| Sherlean Roberts | Political Science | CLAS | PhD |
| May Roded | Fine Arts: Printmaking | CLAS | MFA |
| Mauricio Ruiz | Spanish and Portuguese | Graduate College | MFA - Spanish Creative Writing |
| Carlos Ruiz Martinez | Religious Studies | CLAS | PhD |
| Carolyn Scherf Ryan | Planning & Public Affairs | Graduate College | Master of Urban & Regional Planning |
| Yinmayue Tang | Psychological and Quantitative Foundations | College of Education | Counseling Psychology |
| Tyler Tumblety | History | CLAS | PhD |
| Gawain Williams | Health Management & Policy | College of Public Health | Health Services Research |
| Madelynn Williams-Kane | Communication Sciences and Disorders | CLAS | Doctor of Audiology |
2024 GEC Students
Name | DEPartment | COLLEGE | Degree program | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail Lee | Community & Behavioral Health | College of Public Health | PhD |
| Ashby Martin | Psychological & Brain Sciences | Graduate College | Interdisciplinary Graduate Program - Neuroscience |
| Blessing Alabi | Pharmacy Practice & Science | College of Pharmacy | PhD - Health Services Research |
| Christina Montilla | Iowa Writers' Workshop | Graduate College | MFA |
| Corinne Watts | Anthropology | Graduate College | Department of Anthropology |
| Erdoo Ankwagh | School of Journalism & Mass Communication | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | PhD - Mass Communication |
| Ezinne Okey | Higher Education & Student Affairs | College of Education | Masters - Arts |
| Francisco Espinosa | Ceramics | School of Art & Art History | MFA |
| Jake Harrison | Management & Entrepreneurship | Tippie College of Business | PhD - Management (Organizational Behavior) |
| Jasmin Msuya | Teaching and Learning | College of Education | PhD - Literacy, Culture, & Language Education |
| Lily Kraft | Civil & Environmental Engineering | College of Engineering | PhD |
| Mackenzie Cross | Anthropology | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | PhD - Biological Anthropology |
| Molly Higgins | School of Planning & Public Affairs | Graduate College | MS - Urban & Regional Planning |
| Nanle Gusen | Nursing | College of Nursing | PhD - Nursing |
| Nicholas Goergen | Art | School of Art & Art History | MFA - Sculpture & Intermedia |
| Samantha Rose | Communication Studies | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | PhD - Interpersonal Communication |
| Sophia Wilson | School of Planning & Public Affairs | Graduate College | MPA - Housing & Education Policy |
| Stephen Ogunnubi | Educational Policy & Leadership Studies | College of Education | Higher Education & Student Affairs |
| Uchenna Oluchi Eze | School of Journalism & Mass Communication | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | Masters |
| Yetunde Mabadeje | Psychological & Quantitative Foundations | College of Education | Learning Sciences & Educational Psychology |
Why Students Have Joined the GEC
Conor Hilton
Mavis Gyesi
Yuchen Liu
Graduate Engagement Corps connects grad students to funding, community partnerships, and professional development
The Graduate Engagement Corps (GEC) is an opportunity for students seeking advanced degrees to learn about and receive support for community-engaged teaching, learning, and research. Members of the GEC are also part of a network of like-minded, community-engaged students that can provide friendship and connection throughout their time at the University of Iowa.
"This is a community of students looking for the opportunity to make an impact in the world through research and teaching," said Nick Benson, executive director of the Office of Community Engagement." The GEC will give you training, resources, and a community to join to advance those causes."
The GEC was born out of the sunset of the Obermann Center's Graduate Institute on Engagement and the Academy. Benson and Obermann Center leadership worked over the summer to transition the program and make it more accessible and practical for participants.
The GEC offers graduate and professional students training, support, and financial resources to help impact their communities through engagement. The orientation and workshops will provide the training, the GEC network will provide support, and grants launching spring of 2023 will provide the financial resources through grants for which GEC members can apply.
Graduate student finds her target research population, grant support, and more in Graduate Engagement Corps
Originally from China, Yuchen Liu, a Ph.D. candidate in Foreign Language and ESL Education, came to the University of Iowa after receiving an offer to join the Ph.D. program in 2016 after spending two years in Kentucky pursuing a master's degree.
Now in the sixth year of her program, Liu is in All But Dissertation (ABD) status after completing all doctoral degree requirements except for writing a dissertation.
In 2021, Liu joined the Graduate Engagement Corps (GEC), which introduced her to the concept of community engagement.
"I had never done anything like it," Liu said. "I had engaged with local communities as a volunteer at locations like the food bank, crisis center, and some other nonprofit organizations around Iowa City, but that was all I knew."
The GEC was launched by the Office of Community Engagement to connect University of Iowa graduate students with training and partnerships to advance their research in collaboration with Iowa communities.
"I gained a lot by joining the GEC, including how to find resources and support for my research," Liu said. "I recommend it to graduate students looking for a welcoming and open-minded program that helps connect research with communities through engagement."
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, don't hesitate to contact Nick Benson at 319-384-3464 or nicholas-benson@uiowa.edu.