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

The McCarthy Fellowship from a Dominican University Perspective

The McCarthy Fellowship is clearly a perfect match for someone, like me, who had an interest in public policy and the passion to make the world a better place ––– a notion which former legislator and Center founder, Leo McCarthy shared. – Navi Dhaliwal

Reflections of the Director

Corey Cook, Director of the Leo T. McCarthy Center One of the things that drew me to USF as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics nearly a decade ago was the opportunity to work with the McCarthy Center. At that time, the Center was already nationally-recognized for its expertise in community-engaged learning and was contemplating a…

Future Advocate for Community Engagement

Nichole Vasquez USF Student, Incoming ACE 2015-2016 In my second semester of my freshman year, I became involved in the non-profit organization Generation Citizen, which has since become a recognized club here on campus. Generation Citizen works to civically engage youth, by having college volunteers act as democracy coaches in classrooms around the Bay area. After…

USF Engage San Francisco – Working with the Western Addition

Karin Cotterman Director, Engage San Francisco It is just over a year since USF launched Engage San Francisco, a place-based initiative that partners USF with the Western Addition to respond to community identified needs. More than partnering to support the provision of direct services, the vision of Engage San Francisco is one of transformation through…

Women Organizing! Inspiration at Mujeres Unidas y Activas and The Women’s Building

Amanda Smith Master of Arts in Urban Affairs candidate (’16) This past week I had the opportunity to attend one of Mujeres Unidas y Activas’ (MUA) regular meetings at The Women’s Building in the Mission District. Through research that the Urban Affairs graduate team is conducting this semester, I have been able to connect with and…

Reflections of a Graduate student

As the first year of my journey to earn my Master of Public Affairs (MoPA) from the University of San Francisco (USF) draws to a close, I take this unique opportunity of guest blogging to reflect on this adventure.

Service-Learning Directors from West Coast Catholic Universities come together for 3rd Annual Examen Gathering

Star Moore Director of Community-Engaged Learning On February 8, 2015, I boarded a flight with Associate Dean (soon to be Vice Provost) Shirley McGuire to the Pacific Northwest for a two-day Examen retreat at Seattle University. The Examen group was created as an attempt to strengthen informal but vital relationships between colleagues doing community-engaged work at similar institutions. This…

Spending a semester studying in D.C.

Caleb Banks I am so grateful that I have the privilege and opportunity to live in the United States Capitol—Washington D.C. This area is an amazing place to be a 22-year old with energy and big ideas. Despite learning from and immersing myself into the seemingly endless opportunities that are ever present here in DC, my singular source…