USM Center for Community Engagement

Take time to give back to your community this summer! https://volunteer.usm.edu/need/

We're hiring! The assistant director will develop relationships with community organizations and support Southern Miss students who want to serve their communities. If you're passionate about community impact and civic education, please consider applying.

Assistant Director, Center for Community Engagement Special Instructions to ApplicantsApplicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for visa ...

IDS 450: Practicum in Leadership (online, asynchronous) is a chance to take what you've learned in previous leadership courses and apply it in your campus or local community. It also counts as a Community-Engaged Learning experience to meet requirements for the Citizen Scholars medallion. Register today!

Announcing the Spring 2026 Citizen Scholar graduates - our next generation of community leaders: deeply engaged, hard-working, and educated about community initiatives! Congratulations!!

For more information on how to become a Citizen Scholar, email [email protected]

The City of Hattiesburg is having a series of come-and-go feedback sessions on the city’s core goals, vision and policies for the next 20 years. Stop by tomorrow (Thursday) from 11:30-12:30 outside the Fresh on USM's Hattiesburg campus and share your thoughts on their first draft!

Beginning Thursday, April 30, the City of Hattiesburg will host a second round of public feedback sessions as part of Hattiesburg 150 & Beyond, the city’s new comprehensive plan.

This round of meetings will give residents an opportunity to review the draft concepts of the comprehensive plan and share feedback before the plan is finalized. These informal, come-and-go sessions are designed to make participation easy. Stop by and ask questions to help shape the future of Hattiesburg.

A comprehensive plan helps guide how the city grows and invests over the next two decades, covering important topics like infrastructure, housing, transportation, economic development, land use and parks. Your input is critical to making sure the final plan reflects the needs and priorities of our community.

Whether you attended the first round of meetings or are joining the conversation for the first time, we encourage you to be part of the process.

Thursday, April 30
▪️11:30 a.m. – Thad Cochran Center – USM, 121 W Memorial Dr
▪️2 p.m. – Common Grounds – WCU, 710 William Carey Parkway
▪️5 p.m. – Jackie Dole Community Center, 220 W Front St
▪️7 p.m. – Lillie Burney Learning Academy, 901 Ida Ave

Friday, May 1
▪️9 a.m. – Mo’Bay Beignet Co., 2902 Hardy St
▪️12 p.m. – Eureka School, 410 E Sixth St
▪️5 p.m. – Live at Five at Town Square Park, 100 Main St

Saturday, May 2
▪️9 a.m. – Hattiesburg Country Club, 61 Classic Dr
▪️12 p.m. – The Lucky Rabbit, 217 Mobile St

To learn more about the comprehensive plan, visit hattiesburgms.com/compplan.

Help plan Hattiesburg’s tomorrow, today. Your voice matters.

The Hattiesburg Pickleball Classic is in need of volunteers for Friday, April 24th-Sunday, April 26th! Multiple time slots are available for this volunteer opportunity!

Volunteer duties include: Service (food, coffee, snacks, drinks) Set up/Tear Down, trash removal and checking facilities, taking pictures, and being on hand for any tournament needs.

Link to sign up: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=sN7lUh7ylUaSNWalKZZufmald5pF23NJiD0BG3YJfrxUNklDT0tVUFdWQVg3VEcyUlNDOTVMWVhKNy4u&route=shorturl

The link to sign up to volunteer can also be found in our Link Tree in our bio.

2026 marks the 11th annual event, and this fun community tradition continues on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at Kamper Park in Hattiesburg.

Money will be raised for the Mississippi Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, while continuing the same spirit and energy that has made Dog Dogs so special over the years.

Volunteers sign-up through RunSignUp is now open! Please select the role and time that works best for you! Then scroll for options on where you may want to volunteer. Whether you’d like to work and cheer along the race course, help at the start or finish line, assist with food and beverages, or be part of the festival area, we have a spot for you! As always, this is a fun, high-energy event with over 600 participants expected (and plenty of dogs!)

https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/MS/Hattiesburg/DogDays5K

This link can also be found in the Linktree in our bio.

We were devastated to learn of the loss of Dr. Maria Ferris Greene Wallace, one of our beloved service-learning faculty and community-engaged researchers at USM. Her partnership with the Hattiesburg Zoo is a model for transformational campus-community partnerships. She was a wonderful person, colleague, educator, and friend, and will be missed dearly.

Volunteers are needed on Friday, May 1st at Vernon Dahmer Park for the annual Family Fun Day in the Park.

Kickball, jump houses, basketball, food trucks, ice cream truck, Hattiesburg Fire Department, Hattiesburg police department, dunk tank, and awesome time for the community to come together. They will also have community vendors providing resources and materials.

https://volunteer.usm.edu/need/detail/?need_id=1249783

This link to sign up for this volunteer opportunity can also be found in the Linktree in our bio.

Transcribe historical documents with the Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub transcription tool on Wednesday, April 15th!

Your transcriptions will help make these documents more accessible to researchers and the community.

No transcription experience required! Drop in and stay as long as you’d like. Lunch will arrive at 11am.

Send your RSVP for this event at https://www.paperlesspost.com/go/pNPYYWbsBqZ7PxATkEby8j.

The link to sign up can also be found in the Linktree in our bio.