A year has gone by since the death of political science instructor and civic leader Jerry Jacks, but his legacy continues. The founder of the Urban Citizen Program, Jacks inspired and guided students in their efforts to heal some of Denver’s most critical societal problems. The service-learning project consists of 20 students who do everything from after-school tutoring to fundraising to oral history projects.

Their new director, Harvey Bishop, continues the effort to teach students how to work with their communities and the importance of service as a means of societal improvement. According to Bishop, students learn “how to be effective citizens and how to address their concerns.”

The students work for several hours each week with nonprofit organizations that deal with numerous local social issues such as poverty and crime. Cassie Gootee, BA 2006, remains involved. She says the program allows students to “[step] out of the box of fundraising,” and to harness the fiscal power of the music industry so it can support societal change.

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