Module 1: The Engaged Scholar: MSU's Land-Grant Mission - Page 1

Learning Objectives

After completing this module you will understand:

  • What it means for MSU to be an engaged institution with a land-grant history
  • The responsibility that the land-grant mission places on faculty and students to engage with community partners
  • How engagement enhances the undergraduate academic experience

"The 'me' perspective subsides when you visit impoverished areas that have polluted wells for drinking water, and a few dollars can feed one child school lunches for a month. Now it's something I think about every time I spend money. An international service experience has led me to ask how I can contribute to similar social issues in the future, and how I might convey these experiences to others and make them more aware."

~ Lisa Devereaux,
Accounting Senior and Student Site Leader, Amealco, Mexico, Alternative Spring Break 2008

Integration with other Modules

This module is the foundation for the rest of the modules. It gives students a context for university-community engagement by describing MSU's history and mission as a land-grant institution. This module challenges students to accept the responsibility of engaging with community partners, and describes a process (as elaborated by the other modules) of how they may become engaged. It also presents examples of student community engagement projects.