How we do community engagement at Missouri State
The Information Services Division at Missouri State University conducted a food drive at the end of the Fall 2020 semester to support the Bear Pantry. Collection bins were set up on campus, and the Bear Pantry’s Amazon Wishlist was promoted.
Information Services staff donated 186 lbs of food and hygiene items through this drive. These items directly support MSU community members utilizing the Bear Pantry.
Learn about the Office of Information Services
Learn about ways to support the Bear Pantry
The Pat Walker Missouri Public Affairs Academy brings talented high school students from throughout the state together to develop their understanding of public affairs. Judith Rowland, a 2005 Academy graduate and Missouri State University alum, was inducted into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame in 2017. She us an insight to how Public Affairs plays a role in her life now, and shared advice to future MPAA participants.
Learn more about Judith Rowland’s advocacy work
MPAA helped me to better understand how I can bring my passions together in a way that serves our state and the greater good. The Academy helped me connect the dots between the topics I was learning about in my high school and ways that I could use those lessons to help address poverty, homelessness, hunger and other issues impacting both our state and our world. As part of the academy I had an opportunity to form lasting relationships with other students from across the state – some of which endure now, 15 years later!
My objective is to ensure that every aspect of my life, from my career to the way I spend my weekends, helps to benefit the communities I’m blessed to be part of. Missouri State’s focus on ethical leadership, community engagement and cultural competence is a strong blueprint for how we can each work for the greater good.
Attending MPAA is a great opportunity to gain exposure to the many career paths that allow promising students in Missouri to have a positive impact on our state.
The MPAA has three main goals:
Darr College of Agriculture graduate students, Scott Cooley and Korey Harper, developed a hydroponics system and germination system for the Bear Pantry in Fall 2020. In addition to designing the systems, these students trained the Bear Pantry staff on maintenance and food production.
These systems allow the Bear Pantry to provide consistent fresh produce to MSU community members in need. Leafy greens are currently being grown and distributed. Bear Pantry members can request fresh produce while shopping in person or filling out an online order form.
The hydroponics system is already popular amongst Bear pantry visitors. One comment left by a student said:
This is one of many ways the William H. Darr College of Agriculture supports the Bear Pantry’s mission to reduce food insecurity.
Learn more about the Darr Collage of Agriculture
Learn more about the Bear Pantry
The Center for Community Engagement is excited to announce the Bear Pantry is open for business! Established with the help of the Drew Lewis Foundation, the food pantry brings us one step closer to reducing food insecurity at Missouri State University. We also hope to educate our campus and community on the devastating effect hunger has on students.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire such foods in a socially acceptable manner” (Wisconsin HOPE Lab). More students than you might imagine struggle with food insecurity, in fact, the Wisconsin HOPE Lab found that 36% of college students are experiencing hunger. To bring this closer to home, according to Feeding America, “Nearly 47,000 people in Greene County (or 1 in 6) are food insecure.” Food insecurity is real and many Missouri State University students are struggling. The Bear Pantry is just one initiative hoping to serve these students well.
So how can students access this service? Confidentially. Privacy is a major concern of students and the Bear Pantry respects that. Students can utilize the pantry twice each month between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, through several avenues. Students can simply come into the Center for Community Engagement in the Plaster Student Union behind Starbucks and ask about the pantry or make a private appointment through the Bear Pantry website. If made ahead of time, students can enter their appointment through a discrete entrance directly into the pantry. All students need for their first appointment is their BearPass ID. For following appointments, students should also bring the client card received at their first visit. Our hope is to make this as discrete and simple as possible.
If you would like to donate food, please leave your non-perishables at one of our drop-off locations around campus. Drop-off locations include the Center for Community Engagement, Strong 251, Temple 142, University 115, and the Foster Recreation Center. You will find a tub to place your donation and a list of most needed items at each of these locations.
Please reach out to the Center for Community Engagement with any questions you may have either at 417-836-5774 or cce@missouristate.edu.
If you have any further questions or are interested in partnering with the Bear Pantry, please contact the Center for Community Engagement.
cce@missouristate.edu | @MoStateCCE | 417-836-5774
During the fall semester 2018, the office of Citizenship & Service-Learning partnered with the Springfield Dream Center, The Fairbanks/Northwest Project, and Dr. Alex Jean-Charles and Dr. Ann Marie Daehn’s service-learning students to host a brand-new program called “Around the World in 80 Days.”
“Around the World in 80 Days” developed out of Dr. Ann Marie Daehn’s service-learning courses MUS 293,393 and 493 and Dr. Alex Jean-Charles EDC 345 Multi-cultural Education and Diversity class and in partnership with the CASL office. In these classes, students discussed ideas for giving back to the community with culture. Service-learning director, Dr. Kathy Nordyke was more than happy to help build this vision of using multiple departments to create a community educational event. Ultimately, education students from CFD 560/660 Family Engagement course and Professor Sarah Murray’s BMS 340 Nutrition Education students, along with a host of students from French, Sociology, Biology, Management, Psychology, First-Year Programs and the Honor’s College also joined in with Music and Education students to support and develop this program.
The plan to create an event that would offer an experiential learning opportunity to Missouri State students while also teaching local children different aspects of diverse cultures was a success. These cultures and locations were imaginatively recreated by structuring a series of globe-hopping booths, visualized with beautiful 9-foot-by-6-foot canvas paintings – all of which were made by hand under the direction of Missouri State art student Megan Wood who is a Bonner Leader in the CASL office. The first event took place on November 10, 2018 at the Springfield Dream Center. A number of other CASL Bonner Leaders as well as student volunteers, assisted in the paintings of the backdrops for each country.
For instance, at the India booth, students read a storybook about Diwali – the Hindu festival of light over darkness – to the families and children that attended. They made simple flutes out of straws to represent an instrument in the story that is often used during the celebration.
At another booth, families in attendance were treated to a mini-Italian opera performed by Dr. Daehn’s students, teaching elements of language, music, and emotion in a classical art form.
Spain was also in town, where Professor Alex Jean Charles’ students created a lesson plan to educate the families about the language, culture, and music of Spain through castanet crafting. Families took the opportunity to dance around the gym of the Springfield Dream Center with their castanets.
Additionally, service-learning students from Professor Sarah Murray’s class were there to teach families about food safety and healthy eating, particularly relevant to a population that may not have had the opportunity to learn things the rest of us often don’t think twice about.
In total, there were fourteen countries students had the opportunity to visit through this program. Dr. Nordyke is pleased with the results of the multi-class and community collaboration, saying, “If we can inspire one child, or one person, we have done our job!”
“Anything one person can imagine another person can make real.”
– Jules Verne
Based on the classic novel by Jules Verne, about an adventurer and his friend as they experience different countries and unique cultures. Service-learning was inspired to use the story as a foundation for sharing new and exciting knowledge about diverse cultures across the globe. “Around the World in 80 Days” received positive feedback and comments from families. The Springfield Dream Center also praised the event and hope Missouri State can come back again soon with even more countries and more things to learn. If you missed the “Around the World in 80 Days” event November 10, 2018, please feel free to join us on December 1, 2018, for the next event at the Fairbanks Community Center.
If you have any further questions or are interested in partnering with Missouri State University to host an educational event, please contact the Center for Community Engagement.
cce@missouristate.edu | @MoStateCCE | (417) 836.5774
