
Community Program Assistant
To foster campus-community collaborations that address needs in small towns.
To work toward more vibrant and equitable rural communities.
Community partnerships are reciprocal agreements between one or more UMN Morris units and one or more individuals, organizations, or educational institutions that support the mission, vision, and values of the Clifford J. Benson Center for Community Partnerships, as well as data-driven priorities of the partners involved in the partnership. Community partnerships include a project agreement; ongoing engagement by UMN Morris students, faculty, and/or staff and point people in other community roles; ongoing communication; regular reflection; and ongoing assessment. Community partnerships exist for short and long term periods and are ever evolving as community needs and assets shift. Learn more about the types of partnerships we currently support.
Community-engaged learning is a pedagogy that utilizes community service, community-based research, or other civic engagement activities along with regular reflective activities and assignments to meet both course goals and identified community needs.
The Center for Small Towns supports community-engaged faculty research, creative activity, and consulting opportunities that build capacity to better understand rural challenges and make sound decisions to improve rural communities; coordinates project-based student internships that address small town challenges; and convenes events that build bridges among small town community members and provide education related to small towns.
The Office of Community Engagement coordinates community-building programs; connects students, faculty, staff, and community members to volunteer opportunities; directs youth programs.
Together, the units collaborate on Center for Community Partnerships initiatives and Community-Engaged Learning.