Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Continuing to Enact Ethical Service

The Office of Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at USF recently featured an interview with our Interim Senior Director, Karin Cotterman in its November 2025 newsletter. In conversation, Dr. Cotterman reflects on the center’s mission, her time at USF, and changes within higher education. Her keen insight on these topics illustrates how the McCarthy Center…

Third Spaces on Campus?

McCarthy Fellow Gabriella Fulton represented the Leo T. McCarthy Center along with two other McCarthy center peers at the SNF Ithaca 5th Annual National Student Dialogue hosted by the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy. This national gathering brings together students from over 50 colleges and universities and this year’s theme was the…

“Lights On” at DCYF

At the McCarthy Center, students engage with communities while developing the skills and perspectives needed for meaningful public service. Through McCarthy Fellows in San Francisco, Keslie Parker ’26 worked with 80+ organizations through the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families. Keslie’s journey highlights how the McCarthy Center empowers students to make contributions to building…

Centering Community at SFPUC

Here at the Center, we love seeing McCarthy Fellows dive into real-world public service. This semester, Claire Correia ’25 made her mark at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). From helping run community events to supporting projects, they got hands-on experience connecting with residents, learning how city services work, and striving for programs to…

Note from the Interim Sr. Director

Karin Cotterman, our Interim Senior Director, recently shared some updates and reflections about what’s happening at the Center. Stepping into the role of Interim Senior Director, she continues to guide our work with care, collaboration, and vision. Karin joined USF in 2010 as an adjunct professor and later transitioned to the LTMC in 2011. We’re…

Voting Matters

Elena Jimenez ’26, registrar of voters for the USFVotes Team answers all the need to know questions regarding voting with us after a week of action packed activicties from National Voter Education Week. Elena is a thrid year politics major. Get to know Elena’s journey to becoming a USFVotes team lead along with important voting…

Welcome Professor Sundstrom, Inaugural King-Jones Faculty Fellow

We are honored to extend a heartfelt welcome to Ronald Sundstrom, the inaugural King-Jones Faculty Fellow. In partnership with the Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice (INSJ), the King-Jones Fellowship focuses on a faculty member whose work and research resonate with the values of the INSJ. Ronald also serves as a professor of Philosophy at…

USF in DC Fellows Take on the Capital

Our USF in DC Fellows have been sent off to start their East Coast experience! These seven outstanding students will spend their fall semester interning at different offices across the heart of the capital while still taking courses. They will be learning invaluable lessons and making memories that last a lifetime. We can’t see what…