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Center for Community Engagement

WHAT WE DO

The Center for Community Engagement is the University of Mississippi’s dedicated unit focused on elevating, celebrating, and sustaining excellence in community engagement across all Colleges, units, and departments. We carry out this work using a highly collaborative work ethic that emphasizes co-creation and collaboration in project development and delivery

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About Us

The Center for Community Engagement is the University of Mississippi’s dedicated unit focused on elevating, celebrating, and sustaining excellence in community engagement across all Colleges, units, and departments. We carry out this work using a highly collaborative work ethic that emphasizes co-creation and collaboration in project development and delivery.  Our work relies on building and sustaining long term, mutually beneficial partnerships with community-based organizations in the Lafayette-Oxford-University (LOU) community.

Enriching Lives through Community Engagement

Community Engagement enriches lives on and off campus. Learn more about our focus areas below.

Developing, running, and assessing a variety of student facing programs, such as the Bonner Leaders Program and Community Engagement Leadership Minor. 

Using platforms like Givepulse and events like the Non-Profit Fair, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, and Dorm Donation Drive to support and cultivate meaningful service and engagement opportunities that positively impact the community.

Supporting faculty and staff in their efforts to include communities beyond the campus in their programming, teaching, or research through initiatives such as the Community Engaged Fellow Program. 

Support collective nonpartisan work through initiatives like the Voting Engagement Roundtable and Voting Engagement Summit focused on boosting voter registration, voter education, and voter turnout to ensure our campus community has access to participation in the civic practice of voting.

Developing strategic partnerships to support place-based experiences that advance community-engaged research, learning, service, and civic leadership through programs such as the Chancellor's Servant Leadership Retreat and Sites of Resistance, Sites of Healing. 

Programs and Initiatives

student standing in front of a screen giving a presentation

Community Engaged Leadership Minor

The Community Engaged Leadership (CEL) minor is an interdisciplinary program that equips students with the skills to analyze and understand major problems and unrealized opportunities of our communities, explore their relationship to these problems and opportunities, imagine how to transform these problems, and doing meaningful work to improve our communities through a project co-designed with an off-campus partner.

students holding ole miss bound sign under walk of champions arch

Bonner Leaders Program

The Bonner Leaders Program is a four year cohort model that provides a diverse group of students the opportunity to work at least 24 hours in the community building capacity of community based organizations while growing students’ civic leadership. Students benefit from a three-part support system of deep partnerships between with community organizations, solidarity between peer Bonner students, and direct mentorship from Center for Community Engagement staff.  

Front of Lyceum building with column

Community Engaged Fellows

The Community Engaged Fellows Program at the University of Mississippi is an interdisciplinary, intercollegiate community of practice designed to further institutionalize and support engaged teaching and scholarship performed in mutually beneficial and equitable collaboration with communities. Participating faculty and staff can opt-in to either a teaching, research and creative achievement, or programmatic track. 

young boy looking through a telescope

Chancellor's Servant Leadership Fellowship

The Chancellor’s Servant Leadership Fellowship is a three-year journey to learn how to become leaders and changemakers alongside a cohort of like-minded students from colleges across the American South and on your campus. The Chancellor's Servant Leadership Fellowship is a partnership between the Sullivan Foundation and UM’s Center for Community Engagement.

people sitting at a long table having a conversation

Community Connections

Community Connections at the University of Mississippi brings together local non-profits and interested citizens to build relationships and foster connections that strengthen the community, address needs, and increase collaboration. Through a monthly meeting, this initiative facilitates ongoing dialogue and partnership opportunities, enhancing the overall well-being and development of the local community.

image of a person helping two student complete a voter registration form.

Voter Engagement Roundtable

The Voter Engagement Roundtable at the University of Mississippi is a collaborative initiative that brings together students, faculty, staff, and community partners to promote informed, nonpartisan voter engagement. The roundtable focuses on increasing voter registration, education, and turnout by organizing events, sharing resources, and fostering a culture of civic participation. Efforts often include voter registration drives, educational workshops, and collaborations with national and local organizations dedicated to strengthening democracy. By providing resources and opportunities for engagement, the roundtable aims to empower the university community to actively participate in the democratic process.