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MU Home » The MU Journey » Center for Community Engagement

As an MU student, which culminated in receiving a bachelor's degree in social work and
economics in 1983, I became aware of my social responsibilities and launched my career
as a public servant in 1986, when I became a member of the Fayetteville City Council.

Methodist University has been actively involved in supporting the local community since
its founding in 1956. In 2012, this initiative is more intentional through the creation of the
Center for Community Engagement, which offers students opportunities to participate in
measurable, time-limited, problem-solving, and community-based experiences.

One of the things that I find exciting here is to be a part of getting students engaged
within the community. MU is not an island, but a part of what makes Fayetteville a better
place for everyone. There is a new energy on campus that I see spilling over into our
entire community.

The value of students engaging in community development projects is immeasurable. In
one project, Operation Inasmuch, students across our campus swiped their food cards to
share a meal with the homeless. As the project matured, the students did not simply want
to buy breakfast for the homeless, they aimed to cook and serve it as well, resulting in a
partnership with Sodexo to feed the homeless community.

It was a blessing for these students to take on such a project, and they did it in a matter of 40 days, from start to finish, with plans to make this a permanent community project.

Dr. Mark Kendrick '83
Assistant Professor of Marketing
Director of the Center for Community Engagement