| |
| |
UConn Air Force and Army ROTC cadets carry the colors around campus as others follow behind them during the POW/MIA Rememberance Run on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo) | | | | |
|
Thank You to All Who Served
| | |
Today, we pause to honor the brave men and women who have served our nation with courage, dedication, and sacrifice. Veterans Day reminds us of the freedoms we enjoy and the extraordinary individuals who made them possible.
To all veterans in our community, past and present: we salute you. Your service inspires us every day. We are deeply grateful for your commitment to protecting our country and our values.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
The Office of Outreach and Engagement
| | | | |
|
This event brings together faculty, staff, students, and community partners to share experiences, discuss challenges, and celebrate collaboration across Connecticut institutions.
Throughout the day, participants will have opportunities to network, reflect, and exchange ideas about building sustainable, ethical, and inclusive community partnerships.
Please RSVP by November 16 using this link.
Light breakfast, lunch, and free registration were made possible through the generous support of UConn Hartford, Research on Resilient Cities, Racism and Equity, and Trinity College, Center for Hartford Engagement and Research.
For accessibility requests or any questions, don't hesitate to contact Christopher Ciarcia, Associate Director of Outreach and Engagement, at christopher.ciarcia@uconn.edu by November 17.
We hope you’ll join us for this energizing and collaborative day of learning and engagement.
| | | | |
Provost's Awards for Excellence in Community Engaged Scholarship | |
|
Nominations are now open for the Provost's Awards for Excellence in Community Engaged Scholarship.
Let's honor individuals and partners whose collaborative work exemplifies the University of Connecticut's mission as a public institution-advancing knowledge, strengthening communities, and addressing critical societal challenges through reciprocal, impactful engagement.
Please submit your nominations by January 30, 2026, using this form.
Award Recipient Categories
✨ Student (Undergraduate & Graduate)
✨ Faculty (Research: Emerging & Distinguished)
✨ Faculty (Teaching: Emerging & Distinguished)
✨ Faculty (Community Impact)
✨ Staff
✨ Team
✨ Community Partner
✨ Institutional Transformation
| | 2024 Winners of the Institutional Transformation category of the Provost’s Awards for Excellence in Community-Engaged Scholarship | | | | |
Tracking Student Volunteer Hours | | |
The Office of Outreach and Engagement is developing a tool to track student volunteer hours, and we want to ensure it meets the needs of different users across the university.
If you are currently tracking — or plan to track — student volunteer hours, we would love to hear from you. Please share your contact information via this form, and a member of our team will follow up soon.
For more information, contact: Office of Outreach and Engagement at engagement@uconn.edu
| | UConn students sit and study on the Founders Green near Wilbur Cross among the fall foliage on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo) | | | | | |
Outreach & Engagement
Webinars
| | |
This workshop will go over best practices in community partner compensation. Participants will learn why compensation is essential to reciprocal partnerships, examine ethical and equitable frameworks, and receive guidance on how to compensate community partners at UConn.
Register
| | |
Join the UConn Office of Outreach and Engagement for a virtual presentation introducing the Connecticut Nonprofit Asset Mapping Tool. This new digital resource visualizes where and how nonprofit organizations are serving communities across the state.
Created by the UConn School of Public Policy with funding from the Education Committee of the Connecticut State Legislature, this tool is designed to strengthen collaboration, inform strategic decision-making, and highlight the vital contributions of Connecticut’s nonprofit sector.
During this session, participants will:
• Learn about the purpose and features of the asset mapping tool
• Explore how the resource can support data-informed decision-making
• Identify opportunities for collaboration and regional partnerships
• Consider potential applications for research, advocacy, and strategic planning
Register
| | |
In recognition of Veterans Day, join us for a virtual presentation featuring Emily Lugo, Outreach Coordinator, and Rebekah Mizener, Veteran Services Coordinator, from UConn's Veterans and Military Programs. This session will highlight the university’s ongoing commitment to supporting veterans, service members, and military-affiliated students.
The Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs fosters a seamless, inclusive experience for military-affiliated students, their families, and alumni across all UConn campuses, uniting comprehensive services and support under one flagship university to ensure every student can thrive. Through community engagement, interdepartmental collaboration, and external partnerships, the office provides an individualized approach that strengthens connection and belonging within the UConn community.
Register
| | |
This workshop explores various models and approaches to community-engaged teaching and learning. It covers strategies for building reciprocal partnerships with communities, preparing students for meaningful engagement, and guiding them in reflecting on and deepening their learning through experience. Participants will learn about the services provided to support faculty in developing and teaching community-engaged learning courses and to departments seeking to increase community engagement in their curricula.
Register
| | | | |
2025-2026 Service Learning Fellows Program | | |
Service learning is a long-established pedagogical practice that works with community partners to combine classroom learning with hands-on service in the community.
Faculty members accepted into the program will have the opportunity to engage in an intellectually stimulating environment where they can exchange ideas with a diverse group of colleagues and learn from the experiences of fellow participants. By the end of the program,
faculty will have a revised or new course syllabus along with the tools and resources necessary to implement a service-learning course effectively.
The Faculty Fellows program provides an opportunity to deepen understanding of community-engaged teaching and learning while collaborating with like-minded faculty dedicated to student learning and community engagement. Participants will receive topic-specific readings and materials before each workshop and will have access to individualized support.
Applications for the 2025-2026 cohort are due for review by the Service Learning Committee and Anne Gebelein, the Service Learning Faculty Coordinator.
Applications for the 2025-2026 cohort are due Friday, December 9, 2025
Please use this link to apply.
| | | | |
Campus Compact:
Introducing Student Co-Design Teams - Applications Open
| | |
Campus Compact will select campuses to be provided with a $5,000 implementation grant that can be used to incubate a new civic student voice initiative on campus (ex. student-led leadership board for a campus center or students on a community partner board, etc.), expand a successful existing student-voice partnership (ex. student government and faculty senate committee on civic participation, etc.), and/or do a research initiative centering student voice that will lead to tangible outcomes for campus and/or the community.
The five selected campuses will receive support from Campus Compact staff (Director, Student Engagement). They will be required to attend monthly meetings with the other Co-Design Teams to share best practices, learn from each other’s challenges, and capture shared insights and themes to be shared with the rest of Campus Compact’s network. All teams will be required to send two members to present at Compact27, and $2,000 per team will be provided to cover registration, hotel, and flight expenses.
To apply, click on the following link: https://campuscompact.tfaforms.net/121.
Teams must be composed of at least an equal number of students and non-students (staff, faculty, administrators, or partners), with a maximum of six members per team.
All applications are due Friday, December 5th. Selections will be made by the end of January 2026.
First cohort meetings will begin in February 2026. All projects must be finalized by May 2027, with Compact27 presentations occurring that spring/summer.
Campus Compact aims to recruit a group of teams that vary in institutional type, size, geographic location, and the student population they serve. All participating Compact member campuses are heavily encouraged to apply.
To learn more or ask questions, reach out to Will Brummett at wbrummett@compact.org.
| | | | |
Campus Compact:
Host a Campus Compact Vista
| | |
VISTA projects are hosted at Campus Compact member institutions and their community partners across the country. UConn is a member institution.
AmeriCorps members serve to build capacity for anti-poverty interventions in the areas of education, healthy futures, economic opportunity, and veterans and military families.
Each year, member campuses and their partners are invited to apply to host an AmeriCorps member by submitting project ideas that serve low-income college students, low-income K-12 students, or low-income community members, either on campus or in the surrounding community.
- Veterans & military families
- Low-income community members & college students through basic needs support
- Low-income college students through first-generation and civic engagement programming
- Low-income K-12 students through tutoring, mentoring, and college pathways programming
Host site applications are now open.
Request for Proposals and application for the 2026-27 Campus Compact VISTA program year are now live, and Campus Compact is seeking proposals from member institutions to host an AmeriCorps VISTA project.
Questions? You're welcome to join an upcoming info session if you'd like to learn more.
Priority Deadline: December 17th, 2025
Application closes: January 22nd, 2026
For inquiries about hosting a Campus Compact VISTA Member, please email: Bella McKinney, AmeriCorps VISTA Recruitment and Outreach Program Coordinator, at: bmckinney@compact.org
| | | | |
Campus Compact and Engaged Scholarship Consortium Event Calendar | | | | |
Veteran's Day Ceremony at UConn | Join us in honoring Veterans Day with a special campus ceremony on Friday, November 11, at 11:00 AM at Founders Green, featuring guest speaker Heather Sandler, MSW. This event is open to everyone, regardless of military affiliation — students, faculty, staff, and community members are all warmly invited to attend. | | | | |
| |
Sunday - November 9, 2025
HUSKY RUN & RUCK
| |
The Husky Run & Ruck offers a 10K run, a 5K run/walk, and an untimed 1-mile walk, all starting and ending in the heart of the UConn Storrs campus. Taking place on Veterans Day weekend, the event will honor those who have served. Through UConn’s Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs, proceeds will fund scholarships for military and veteran students and support the Kyle Milliken Fund. Kyle Milliken's story. Join UConn Rec in a salute to service!
The rolling courses explore campus and the rural Mansfield-Storrs area, with 10K runners tackling the infamous Bonemill loop. The challenging Bonemill course has long been a proving ground for runners and athletes at UConn. We encourage participants to run or ruck “Bonemill” in honor of Kyle Milliken, Navy SEAL and UConn track and field athlete, who was killed in action.
Runners and walkers are both welcome in the 5K, which offers a taste of everything in the local area. The fitness walk is an untimed mile through the heart of campus. All courses will pass by the Ultimate Sacrifice Memorial on the Great Lawn, where a Blackhawk helicopter will land during the race!
Event participants will earn long-sleeve technical shirts and enjoy post-race festivities taking place outside the UConn Student Recreation Center.
Kids Fun Run: Bring the whole family and enjoy the kids' run with options of a ¼-mile or ½-mile (for kids ages 2-11)!
RUN FOR GOOD
This charity partner race benefits UConn’s Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs and the Kyle Milliken Fund. Consider making a donation, running, walking, or volunteering with their group, and learn more here.
| | | | |
Nominate Champions of Equity and Change: UConn MLK Legacy Awards | Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment at UConn Nathan Fuerst gives Alexis Monteiro, a residence hall director at UConn, the 2025 MLK Legacy Award for staff during the Dr. Martin Luther King Living Legacy Convocation at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo) | | |
Nominations are now open for the University of Connecticut's 2026 MLK Legacy Awards! Let's recognize individuals and teams who exemplify Dr. King's legacy through leadership, advocacy, community service, education, and the pursuit of social justice.
Award Recipient Categories
- Undergraduate Student
- Graduate Student
- Faculty
- Staff
- Community Member
- Alum
- Team or Organization
For more information on these awards and the nomination form, please visit this link.
Submit your nominations by November 7th at 11:59 p.m.
Nominee acceptance deadline November 21st at 11:59 p.m.
| | | | |
Don't Mess with Mansfield | | |
Save the date for the “Don’t Mess with Mansfield” campus-wide clean-up, happening on Saturday, November 8th, from 12-4 pm. This trash clean-up will help keep both our campus and our town free of litter, and we want YOU to participate. Check out the link below to sign up as a volunteer! More information here.
| | | | |
Rainbow Center Annual Symposium | | The fourth annual Rainbow Center Symposium will be held on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at the University of Connecticut Student Union. Sessions start at 10 am, with a keynote by award-winning activist and author Tourmaline. Please RSVP to the Attendee Registration Link. | | | | |
Voting and Civic Engagement | | General Elections are on November 4, 2025. Please see below for Early voting information. Anyone encountering problems on Election Day should contact the Election Day Hotline at 1-866-733-2463 or email elections@ct.gov. | | | | |
#Community Engagement - UConn Today |
The University of Connecticut celebrated faculty, staff, students, and community partners whose achievements embody the University’s academic excellence and public service mission at the 2025 Provost’s Awards Celebration, held Tuesday, October 14, at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts Art Gallery.
This annual event recognizes exceptional service, scholarship, and engagement that strengthen UConn and the communities it serves. The celebration took place in the Jorgensen Art Gallery, surrounded by Eight Days a Week: An Illustrated Record of Rock ’n’ Roll — a new exhibition of rock music memorabilia from the archive of editor, journalist, and radio disc jockey Ken Best. The gallery collection features decades of iconic photographs, album covers, posters, and promotional materials, including Connecticut photographer Joseph Sia’s legendary 1968 image of Jimi Hendrix, The Shadow. The exhibit’s creative energy and spirit of collaboration offered an inspiring backdrop for a ceremony honoring UConn’s own innovators, educators, and community builders.
Read more here.
| | | | |
