Current Award Recipient

James W. Wilson Award

Dr. Michael Sharp, University of Cincinnati

For close to fifteen years, Dr. Sharp has been leading Service-Learning at the University of Cincinnati, a program that connects stakeholders who support over 6,000 student registrations per year (350+ courses), representing every undergraduate college at UC. Most recently, and in many ways in response to the COVID-19 crisis, he helped to create (and adjust to an online/virtual process) the Service-Learning Co-op program, providing students with paid opportunities to work virtually with not-for-profit organizations. Sharp is an associate professor of Experiential Learning, teaching classes in the Division of Experience-Based Learning and Career Education and in the School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies. Sharp created and is leading a novel approach to service-learning called the Service Learning Collaboratory, a class recognized via the Dean’s Award for Innovative Instruction. He introduced to the university the Jack Twyman Award for Service Learning and is the senior editor of Experience Magazine: Practice + Theory + Podcast. He earned a doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership at the University of Cincinnati. His dissertation, Critical Curriculum and Just Community: Making sense of Service-Learning in Cincinnati, focused on the importance of “critical pedagogy” created through campus-community partnerships, which was awarded dissertation of the year by the Society for Experiential Education. This award-winning work has been contracted for book publication by the University of Cincinnati Press. In addition to being recognized for his Scholarship and Teaching, Sharp’s Service portfolio was also recognized by Campus Compact in that he was honored with the 2020 David Hoch Memorial Award for Excellence. Sharp has also been recognized by the university for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers. Some of Sharp’s service to his community includes coaching youth baseball and volunteering. He also co-chairs the Greater Cincinnati Service-Learning Network’s higher education committee.