MSU announces March to Service Initiative  

Morehead State University students are recognized for their commitment to positively impacting their communities. The Center for Career Development and Experiential Education (CCDEE) is launching the March to Service Initiative to enhance these efforts. 

The March to Service Initiative stems from the Council on Postsecondary Education's Kentucky Graduate Profile. This endeavor ensures that students graduating from Kentucky colleges will develop 10 skills to prepare them for life, including communication, cultural competency and civic engagement.  

"We are excited to be involved in and lead this initiative in civic engagement. Morehead State University is an anchor institution in our service region, so it's important for us to be engaged with these wonderful communities," said MSU President Dr. Jay Morgan. "It is our hope that every academic program will step up to the challenge of preparing our students as civically engaged citizens. This type of hands-on learning is exactly what we want our students to experience before they graduate and enter their respective careers. We will prepare them to have the skills that will help them in life after college." 

CCDEE kicked off the event with a unique training opportunity for MSU faculty. Dr. Laurie Couch, associate provost; Megan Boone, director of the Center for Career Development and Experiential Education; and Andrew Sexton (Class of 2020, 2022), coordinator of service learning, are leading the faculty training group. 

At the kickoff in January, guest speaker Dr. Henry Cunningham, director of community engagement at the University of Louisville, presented the value of teaching and participation in civic engagement while detailing the variety of benefits that students, faculty and institutions can receive from being civically engaged. Benefits include improved academic performance, cultural awareness, networking and understanding of individual relationships to social justice issues.  

“Morehead State University strives to ensure our graduates are well-rounded and have the hands-on experiences that employers and graduate programs desire," Boone said. "March to Service accomplishes this goal while improving the communities in which we live.” 

Faculty are designing community and civic engagement volunteer projects taking place throughout March to increase MSU students' civic engagement while incorporating skills developed within their respective majors. Students will also reflect on what they learned and the overall value of their experience.  

More than 20 March to Service Initiative events are planned for the spring. Some of these include: 

• Developing evidence-based posters and providing education to women and families who are planning pregnancy, pregnant, or new or adopting parents. 
• Introducing elementary-aged students to orchestra instruments through a "Meet the Instruments" event before a musical performance. 
• Participating in our Pi Day celebration, where upper-level mathematics majors will design mathematical activities for visitors to explore mathematics beyond arithmetic and algebra.  
• Handling setup and event assistance for the EKTSA (Eastern Kentucky Technology Student Association) Regional Conference. 

“The March to Service initiative is designed to help students see their role in solving the problems of their communities. Each student is gaining discipline expertise in their academic program, and we want them to learn to use that expertise to help their community in some way,” Couch said. “The projects students will do in March will teach our students to pitch in when their communities need them and to apply their special knowledge of the field to bring value when their communities face challenges.” 

Community partners for MSU's March to Service Initiative include: 

• Rowan County Schools 
• Rowan County Health Department 
• City of Morehead 
• Paramount Arts Center 
• Hindman Settlement School 
• Eastern Kentucky Technology Students Association 
• Future Business Leaders of America 
• National Marrow Donor Program 
• Cave Run Symphony Orchestra 

Community partners interested in working with Morehead State University for future service projects can fill out the following survey: https://forms.office.com/r/ZHnqPCvvZy. 

To learn more about MSU's Center for Career Development and Experiential Education, visit moreheadstate.edu/career. 

Photo: Morehead State faculty gathered to collaborate for the kickoff event to MSU's March to Service Initiative.