College and
Program Features
Every MSU college participates in community-engaged learning activities.
In this section of the Community-Engaged Learning Index, we showcase a few stories selected from the 2024-2025 Community-Engaged Learning Survey. The stories were written by Catherine Anger, communications, marketing, and events program assistant.
Broad Art Museum The Broad Art Museum K-12 Engagement Team: Hosting Spaces for Discussion and Creation of Art
Art serves as a window to the world and a form of personal expression, but disparities in K-12 arts budgets mean not all children can experience the same activities. Michigan State University students working with the Broad Art Museum’s K-12 Engagement Team provide a space for classes from local schools to connect with art on and off MSU’s campus.
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College of Arts and Letters Community Engagement in the Department of Theatre: Building Skills in Social Innovation
Like their peers across Michigan State University, students in the Department of Theatre learn about the variety of ways they can apply their technical skills beyond graduation. Through community engagement experiences in different courses, theatre faculty aim to build this understanding in a way that inspires commitment to social innovation.
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College of Communication Arts and Sciences Spartan Stuttering Laboratory: Uplifting Verbal Diversity
Around 80 million people worldwide (about 1% of the world’s population) stutter, which can include many different types of involuntary speech disruptions. The Spartan Stuttering Laboratory advocates for the needs of people who stutter by providing inclusive support spaces and collaborating with national and international partner organizations to raise awareness.
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College of Human Medicine Public Health in Ghana: Research and Service for Improved Health and Hygiene
Every summer, students from the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, College of Human Medicine, contribute to community health research efforts during a study abroad experience in Ghana. With a focus on causes and effects of menstrual health disparities, the 2024 cohort applied their knowledge to the expressed needs of community members they met and gained global context for the many factors of public health.
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College of Law Removing Barriers to Justice: The Public Defender Clinic at MSU Law
This year, the Michigan State University College of Law started the Public Defender Clinic, the first of its kind in the state. Through a narrow focus on pre-conviction appeals, MSU Law students work to support the caseloads of Michigan’s public defenders as they represent clients unable to afford legal counsel.
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College of Natural Science The Residential Initiative on the Study of the Environment: Direct Service in Environmental Sustainability
For incoming students with a passion for sustainability, the Residential Initiative on the Study of the Environment (RISE) offers a community of like-minded Spartans dedicated to making a difference. RISE is a living-learning program that unites first-year students from many majors across campus around a common goal of caring for the environment through direct service.
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College of Osteopathic Medicine Macomb County Street Medicine: Dignity and Care for Patients Facing Substance Use Disorder
Seeking medical care can be difficult for community members with prior bad experiences with hospitals, especially those living with substance use disorder. Macomb County Street Medicine (MCSM) is a registered student organization providing wound care in easily accessed spaces to anyone who needs it.
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College of Social Science Sports Are for Everyone: Participatory Research and Networks of Partnership in Adaptive Youth Sports
Sarah Dunkel-Jackson, Ph.D., a researcher and professor in the Departments of Human Development and Family Studies and Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education, was writing about her work on adaptive youth sports when she realized how neatly the phrase “Sports Are For Everyone” (SAFE) summarizes several community-engaged projects she directs. Through a network of community partnerships and the support of student researchers and volunteers, these projects offer inclusive sports programs that address the strengths and needs of children with disabilities.
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James Madison College The James Madison College Student Senate: Representing Student Interests in College Policy and Social Change
Books can be expensive. Each course in James Madison College (JMC), Michigan State University’s residential college in public affairs and international relations, can regularly require several. This makes the JMC Student Senate’s annual Books and Bagels event, a chance to pick up free donated books and enjoy bagels with fellow JMC students, a key moment of mutual aid and connection. With this event and more, the JMC Student Senate stays in tune with the interests and needs of students to drive their community focus throughout the year.
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Lyman Briggs College Companionship Volunteering: Piloting a Community-Engaged Lyman Briggs Senior Seminar
Lyman Briggs College (LBC), Michigan State University’s science-focused residential college, has long been a home for community-engaged students and registered student organizations. This year, one senior seminar course piloted a community-engaged learning experience with a local hospice care facility as part of its discussion on the ethics surrounding aging and the end of life.
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Residential College in the Arts and Humanities Creative Communication Across Cultures: How RCAH Students Connected with Lansing School District Newcomers
Artistic expression has the power to transcend language barriers. This year, students in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) had the chance to connect with young people through co-creation of narrative artwork at the Lansing School District’s recently opened Newcomer Center.
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Student Development and Leadership Impact 89FM: The Power of Audience Focus and Street Team Partnership in Student Media
A media outlet’s primary partnership is with its audience. Impact 89FM, Michigan State University’s student-run radio station, holds this commitment close through its marketing and programming to facilitate a network of community partnerships that lives out its motto, “More Than Music.”
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University Health and Wellbeing Exercise is Medicine on Campus: Peer Connection in Health Advocacy
Starting a new exercise routine can be daunting, but having a support system in place can go a long way. SPARTANfit, the fitness and wellness program through University Health and Wellbeing (UHW), started recruiting student volunteers as Physical Activity Mentors in 2024. These mentors, previously only interns and student employees, support fellow students seeking exercise counseling on campus.
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