Community Partners

Looking for student support?

UCSC's professional and student staff works with community partners who provide interesting volunteer opportunities, challenging internships, and opportunities to explore Chicago. Strong supervision and mentorship are crucial to the volunteer experience, so we work closely with community partners to identify a mutually beneficial fit.

Opportunities for partnership

Looking for individual students?

  • Volunteer Referral connects individual students with short-and long-term volunteer opportunities in organizations throughout Chicago. We meet individually with students to discuss their interests and skills in order to find opportunities and organizations that are a good match for them. For more information, contact Xavier Ramey.
  • Off-Campus Federal Work-study employment allows students to gain valuable paid real-world experience while contributing to Chicago neighborhoods, organizations, and institutions. The work-study program reimburses employers 100% of eligible students’ wages doing community service. For more information, contact federalworkstudy.ucsc@gmail.com.
  • Summer Links is a 10-week intensive paid internship program for undergraduate students of the University of Chicago. Program participants—competitively selected for their commitment to public service, community building, and social change—are matched with host sites where they work from from late June to early September. For more information, contact Xavier Ramey.

Looking for groups of students?

  • Group Service aims to unite student volunteers with service organizations throughout Chicago for meaningful one-day projects.  These projects aim to engage students with their surrounding neighborhood and become more aware of short-and long-term volunteer opportunities in their community. For more information, contact Nicholas Currie.
  • Service Match provides meaningful ways for students to engage with community members, while supporting an organization’s mission.  A select team of 5 or more currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students is matched with ongoing volunteer activity at a Chicago-based community organization. For more information, contact Xavier Ramey.

Community Partner Appreciation

Since 2004, UCSC has presented the Community Partner Award to recognize those who demonstrate a superior commitment to connecting the University and broader Chicago community.

Past recipients include: