We envision students as active global citizens advancing economic, social, and environmental well-being. Develop the knowledge and skills to become a changemaker right here on the South Cumberland Plateau–and beyond.
Civic engagement brings people together to participate in collaborative, transformational learning that is life enriching and socially beneficial. Go beyond the four walls of a classroom and cultivate applied knowledge, deep relationships, and civic skills for a lifetime of achievement and service.
Civic engagement activates classroom learning by involving students, community partners, and faculty in collaborative projects that address pressing challenges and pursue promising solutions. Civic engagement is integrated across the curriculum through the Community Engaged Learning program (CEL), and the Certificate in Civic and Global Leadership.
Civic Engagement interns invest in communities while deepening their leadership and professional skills. The Office of Civic Engagement supports multiple summer and academic year internships.
Outreach Trips are experiential learning and service opportunities that send groups of students and staff to destinations across the globe during Fall, Winter, and Spring Breaks. These trips link students with long-term partners and community development projects beyond the Mountain.
Our Dialogue Across Difference Program seeks to build the capacity of students, faculty, and staff to engage in understanding across differences through dialogue and civil discourse.
The South Cumberland Plateau AmeriCorps Project is a direct service initiative with some capacity-building opportunities that engage our community through hunger relief, financial literacy, opioid prevention and recovery, tutoring, and education. SCP AmeriCorps encourages collaboration with community partners, organizations, and individuals to understand local rural communities' prevalent social, structural, and systemic issues.
Learn about the voting process through Sewanee Votes!, our a non-partisan democratic engagement initiative that seeks to foster a campus culture of civic responsibility and ongoing engagement.
The Pathways to Civic Engagement program, offers short-term direct service opportunities to meet our community needs. As the name implies, the program presents our students a pathway towards meaningful impact. It also seeks to fulfill our community partners’ more short-term and immediate needs.
AmeriCorps VISTA is a one year long service program dedicated to poverty alleviation in communities across the United States. At the University of the South, The South Cumberland Plateau VISTA Project strengthens communities through programs focused on education, economic opportunity, and healthy futures.
The Community Engagement House seeks to bridge the gap between the College and surrounding area through active outreach. The “CoHo” hosts events and conversations that promote a seamless community among residents of the surrounding area, University students, staff, and faculty.
The OCE works with community partners to design and implement collaborative projects that strengthen our partners, broaden community, and make connections that last.
What collaborative projects do you envision? We are interested in learning how we might partner with you. Completing the form linked below enables us to determine what your interests and needs are and how best we might approach working together.
