Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement
Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement
The Office of Inclusion and Multicultural (IME) serves the USM community through 3
focus areas. One of the major focus areas is Community Outreach.
Through this lens, IME coordinates mutually beneficial community engagement experiences
to address university and community needs, affect positive social change, and cultivate
active citizen leaders.
IME is the hub for volunteer opportunities for USM students, faculty and staff. We:
Host celebrations of service (I.e., Big Event, MLK Day of Service, Homecoming Day
of Service, and various campus-wide service-oriented events)
READY TO GET ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY BUT DON'T KNOW HOW? Schedule a Get Connected Service Consultation with our IME Eagles Service Ambassadors.
Schedule a Service Consultation
Impact Community Work-Study Program
The IMPACT Community Work-Study Program provides opportunities for USM students to connect with the Pinebelt community, increase their civic engagement, and career readiness. Work-study eligible students are placed at Non-Profit and Community sites as part of their work-study job. IMPACT employees work up to 20 hours per week, with jobs ranging from teaching assistant to service ambassador.
Alternative Service Break Program/ ASB Social Convos
The Alternative Service Break (ASB) program is a unique learning experience in which students travel to different region, perform meaningful service, and explore an area’s culture and history. During the trips, team members participate in a variety of cultural, educational, recreational and reflective activities to enhance their service experience. Teams focus on hunger, poverty, public health awareness, youth education and empowerment, LGBTQIA+, and civil rights and environmental issues.
Service activities are combined with reflection and education that challenge student to develop the leadership, teamwork and problems solving skills necessary to become real advocates of change.
Celebrations of Service & Days of Service
IME offers four large-scale celebrations of service each year. These volunteer opportunities available to USM students, faculty, and staff and occur at various times during the year.
The first event is our Golden Eagle Welcome Week (GEWW) Day of Service during our new Eagles first week on campus in late August. The second major day of service is during the week of Homecoming, and is known as Coding Toward Community.
In January, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with the MLK Day of Service as part of the campus wide MLK Celebration and Big Event takes place in March.
The Big Event is collaborative effort between our office and a committee of campus partners to create a weeklong celebration of service for the Pinebelt. Days of Service/ Celebrations of Service (weeklong activities are an opportunity for the campus to come together and build upon the great service performed throughout the year by the USM community.
Service Nights
Service Nights are monthly on-campus service events provided by the Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement. Coordinated by our Eagle Service Ambassadors, these activities provide an opportunity for students to engage in service together without the need to leave campus. It removes barriers to student service created by lack of transportation.
Service Projects include Dog toys for Southern Pines Animal Shelter, Blankets for the Homeless, Stuff Bears for Child Patients, creating little free libraries, making hygiene kits for the homeless, etc.
The IME Volunteer fair is a Non-Profit and Community partners fair that brings the community to campus for students to see the various volunteer opportunities that they can participate in and for them to learn about the ways that they can make an impact in their community.
DO YOU WANT TO SERVE IN THE HATTIESBURG COMMUNITY, BUT NEED A LITTLE HELP FIGURING OUT WHERE YOU FIT? DON'T FRET, OUR EAGLE SERVICE AMBASSADORS CAN TAKE CARE OF THAT.
IME Eagle Service Ambassador are peer ambassadors and student leaders that assist all USM students seeking opportunities for community service and engagement. They provide 1:1 consultations with students, classroom presentations, and facilitate Get Connected workshops for student groups. Eagle Service Ambassadors also offer direction in the areas of service programming, PRISM LGBTQIA+ resources, and Multicultural Student Initiatives (MSI).
You can request a one-on-one service consultation to find opportunities and/or information best suited to your specific interests, needs and/or schedule.
READY TO TAKE THE PLUNGE INTO SERVICE? Schedule your service consultation here.
All USM students have the ability to engage with their community through our volunteer platform.
Here, students can track their volunteer hours, see local volunteer opportunities and check out all of the various non-profits and agency partners in the area.
Service Hour Reporting Guidelines
Center for Community Engagement
Christy Kayser, Director
Christy.ArrazatteeFREEMississippi
Luckyday Citizenship Scholars Program
Jason Quigley, Coordinator
TRIAD AmeriCorps
Scott N. Mullins
Non-Profits and Community Partners can utilize Volunteer Southeast MS (VSEMS) to connect people with their needs. Click here for the VSEMS Volunteer Manager Resources.
For more information about the VSEMS Volunteer Hub Portal, Community Partners, can contact:
Volunteersems@unitedwaysems.org
(601)475-0217