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Abstract
The University of Georgia is the birthplace of higher education in America. Chartered by the State in 1785, UGA became the nation’s first state university. Despite being known for its academic and athletic prestige, tension between the university and the Athens community has existed since its inception. This qualitative study aimed to understand if a service-learning program improved the relationship between a large Research I institution and a local public-school district that shared the same city; by exploring the perspectives of middle school students who were the recipients of the service, along with their teachers and school leaders. Eight 7th and 8th-grade students, three classroom teachers, and one administrator at Hilsman Middle School participated in the research. Data collection methods included 12 semi-structured individual interviews conducted in November and December 2022 and observational fieldnotes taken while the service-learning program operated. The first finding indicates that complications between UGA and Athens still exist. A second finding revealed that many Hilsman students experience challenges in their communities and home lives. The third finding revealed that Hilsman teachers and leaders believed the service-learning program positively impacted Hilsman students and helped strengthen the relationship between UGA and CCSD. The fourth finding suggests the importance of effective communication in university-school partnerships and uncovered challenges in communication concerning the service-learning program. The fifth finding revealed that the Hilsman students benefitted from the academic support they received. The sixth and final finding suggests that the relationships Hilsman students formed with UGA students were transformational.