Community Partners

Looking for student support?

UCSC's professional and student staff works with community partners who provide interesting volunteer opportunities, challenging internships, opportunities to explore Chicago and a forum for the community and university to engage. 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 long-and short-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 Trudi Langendorf.
  • 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 for 60% of eligible students’ wages, and 70% for students doing reading and math tutoring for elementary age children. For more information, contact federalworkstudy.ucsc@gmail.com.
  • Summer Links is a 10-week intensive paid internship program for undergraduate and graduate 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 late June-late August. Host sites may access the application here. For more information, contact Trudi Langendorf.

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 Crystal Coats.
  • Service Match provides meaningful ways for students to engage with community members, while supporting an organization’s mission.  A select cohort of 5 or more currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students is matched with on-going volunteer activity at a Chicago-based community organization. For more information, contact Crystal Coats.

Community Partner Appreciation

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

Past recipients include: