Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University is one of nearly 100 institutions selected to participate in a nationwide student affairs initiative promoting civic learning and democratic engagement, furthering the university’s reputation as a leader in community engagement.

MSU has been selected as a 2016-17 NASPA Lead Initiative Institution by the nation’s leading organization of student affairs administrators in higher education. As a Lead Initiative Institution, MSU student affairs personnel will have access to professional development activities, networking and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing on civic learning and engagement strategies. MSU was selected based on its commitment to civic learning and democratic engagement, which was demonstrated in a competitive application process.

“We are delighted to be included in the NASPA Lead Initiative which recognizes the commitment MSU makes to community engagement and volunteerism,” MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Young Hyatt said. “Students at Mississippi State make contributions daily to our community through service and leadership activities facilitated by the Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement. We are honored to have those efforts recognized by the lead student affairs professional association, NASPA.”

MSU is a recipient of the Carnegie Community Engagement University designation and is a perennial selection on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The university’s Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement provides innovative programs that foster civic learning and facilitates MSU’s Community Engagement Committee.

Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement Director Cade Smith said service-learning and community engagement projects fit perfectly within the mission of land-grant universities. Smith’s office administers two key service programs, MSU’s Maroon Volunteer Center and the university’s Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning (CASLE), and teaches student leadership classes.

Created in 2013 as a partnership between the MSU Office of Academic Affairs and the MSU Extension Service, CASLE facilitates service-learning opportunities that aim to connect research, service and learning in the local community and beyond. In 2016, the Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement was brought into the CASLE partnership, which Smith said was a “natural fit.”

“Our programs are successful because MSU believes in collaborative partnerships that transcend divisions and bring benefits to students, faculty and community members,” Smith said. “We would not be able to share MSU’s good work with other student affairs programs if not for our partnership with Academic Affairs and Extension.”

As part of the Lead Initiative, MSU personnel also will have the opportunity to participate in professional development at the 2017 NASPA Annual Conference and the 2017 Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting. Smith said he looks forward to highlighting MSU’s community engagement efforts and learning from other NASPA Lead Initiative institutions.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.