Our Mission
The mission of the Center for Community Outreach(CCO) is to serve, connect, and unite the University of Kentucky(UK) with the surrounding community in collaborative efforts to promote life-long community service.
Our History
Founded in August 2002, the UK CCO is a student-driven organization that is intended to foster the development of leaders who make a difference in their communities. Through a team of student volunteers and professional staff, programs and services are offered that will afford UK students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to use their time and talents to serve others. The CCO was formed as the Student Volunteer Center (SVC) at the University of Kentucky in 2001. In 2007, the SVC changed its name to the Center for Community Outreach to better represent their approach to engaging students, faculty, and staff in a broad spectrum of civic activity. Currently located on the first floor of the University of Kentucky’s Student Center, the CCO is located in the Center for Student Involvement (106 Student Center) and is part of the Office of Student Involvement. As of May 2015, the Office of Student Involvement, along with the CCO, will be housed in Blazer Hall.
Our Structure
The CCO is a student-driven organizationthat is part of the UK’s Office of Student Involvement. The organization’s student leadership consists of the Board of Directors, which includes an Executive Director, Executive Team (Vice Director of External Affairs, Vice Director of Internal Relations, Vice Director of Public Relations), Program Directors (ASB, DanceBlue, FUSION, Helping Hands, PAWS, Young at Heart, and MLK Day of Service), and Non-Program Directors (Director of Operations, Director of Partnerships, and the Director of Promotions). Additional members of the organization include coordinators, committee members, and volunteers. Two full-time professional advisors (an Assistant Director and a Program Coordinator) and one part-time graduate advisoralso support the organization.
Our Programs
The Center for Community Outreach houses several of the largest, leading student service programs at the University of Kentucky (UK).
ASB (Alternative Service Breaks)( Must apply through ASB, not included on this application)sends students, faculty, and staff across the state, nation, and globe to volunteer in communities throughout the U.S. and learn about issues faced by people in those places in weekend and weeklong service immersions.
DanceBlue, UK’s largest student-run philanthropy, raises awareness and funds for UK’s Pediatric Oncology Clinic, and culminates with a 24-hour, no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon “For The Kids.” (Must apply through DanceBlue, not included on this application)
FUSION (For Unity and Service In Our Neighborhoods) is Kentucky’s largest one-day service event held at the start of each academic year for over 1,500 students, faculty, and staff. (Must apply through FUSION, not included on this application)
Helping Handsaims to improve the quality of life for our neighbors by addressing the issues of hunger and homelessness through collaborations with the Catholic Action Center, God’s Pantry, East Seventh Street, Hope Center, Lexington Rescue Mission, and various other organizations.
MLK Jr. Day of Service is a national day of service that focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. One day in January students gather and volunteer at various non-profit organizations in honor of MLK and programming around the theme of MLK Day of Service throughout the year.
Mountain Catsseeks to serve the Appalachian region through direct service opportunities and educating University of Kentucky students on the issues facing the Appalachian region.
National Hunger Homelessness Awareness Week provides a variety of unique opportunities for UK students, faculty, and staff, as well as the Lexington community, to participate in events that promote awareness and action against hunger and homelessness in our local community.
PAWS(Promoting Animal Welfare Services) focuses on advocating for animal welfare rights through programming efforts and direct service with Homeward Bound, Lexington Humane Society and other community partners.
UK Service Corpsprovides weekly service opportunities for UK students to volunteer each week at a service site in Lexington. This program is for students who are willing to commit to an entire semester of weekly service at their chosen location. Through UK Service Corps, students build lasting relationships with each other and the individuals they are serving in the community.
Young at Heart brings together the young, and the young at heart, by connecting UK students with local nursing homes, assisted living communities, and senior centers in an effort to improve the quality of life for area senior citizens.
Non-Program Directors
Director of Operations works in cooperation with the Vice-Director of External Relations to fulfill their daily responsibilities. Also, the director of operations is responsible for maintaining Orgsync and VolunteerMatch; as well as, the referral process. Also, the director of operation will maintain the CCO’s website and work to produce and maintain a connection with student organizations across campus.
**If selected, a more detailed job description will be provided. **
Director of Promotionsworks in cooperation with the Vice-Director of Public Relations to fulfill their daily responsibilities. The director of promotions is responsible for promoting the overall CCO; as well as, the individual programs. The director of promotions will be the liaison between the program directors and the graphic designer. Also, the director of promotions will lead the various CCO informational sessions and will be in charge of coordinating tabling events.
**If selected, a more detailed job description will be provided. **
Director of Partnerships works in cooperation with the Vice-Director of External Relations to fulfill their daily responsibilities. The director of partnerships is responsible for meeting with community partners to assess their needs and to connect them to our program directors. The director of partnerships will also work to create relationships with campus organizations.
**If selected, a more detailed job description will be provided. **
Term of Position
All members of the Board of Directors (including the Executive Director), once selected, will serve in an Associate Director capacity for the remainder of spring semester and will take full direction of their position beginning in May. All associate directors are required to attend weekly board of director meetings on Wednesday from 5-6:30pm. Associate directors will begin attending Wednesday meetings starting March 4th. Associate Directors will work with the current Director to learn about their position and/or program within the Center for Community Outreach, as well as procedures and protocols of the University of Kentucky. They will develop programs and initiatives during the spring semester and summer for the fall including a calendar of events, network with partners on campus and in the community that have a vested interest in their area. The associate director will have a completed fall program and budget proposal by April 29th 2015. They should also discuss with their advisor best practices for the continued development of their position and program including setting goals and objectives for the year. Directors will be required to attend a day retreat February 28th; as well as, a weekend retreat in August 7th & 8thand January 11th &12th. The term of members of the Board of Directors will be May 1, 2015-May 1, 2016.
Professionalism & Stewardship
Because the CCO is housed within a professional office and supported by professional advisors, members of the Board of Directors are held to the highest level of professionalism. Student leaders are expected to maintain a professionalism demeanor while working in or on behalf of the CCO, including refraining from coarse language, rowdy behavior, or inappropriate conversations. Further, student leaders should not work on personal errands during office hours, and should not utilize CCO resources for personal use. As an extension of the Office of Student Involvement, the CCO strives to create a safe environment inclusive of all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, religion, age, socioeconomic status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other identities. Discrimination or disrespect against another individual based upon one of these identities will not be tolerated. Finally, because the CCO relies heavily upon student fee dollars, members of the Board of Directors are expected to exercise the highest level of stewardship when using those funds. Utilizing CCO funds for personal use, or misusing CCO funds in a way that is not in the best interest of the CCO, are considered as poor stewardship.
Application Process
***Below shows the various components of the application including the questions; however, you must apply online at can also be found on our website at www ukcco.org.
Candidates are allowed to apply for any combination of Executive Director, Program Director, or Non-Program Director.HOWEVER,if a candidate is applying for both a Program and a Non-Program Director, all parts of the each application should be completed.
Candidates should complete and sign all documents required as part of their application. Candidates should also complete the “Application Checklist” as well as any other application material requested under “Job Description.” Candidates are highly encouraged to speak with the current Director to learn more about their position and program. Contact information for current directors can be found at office hours for directors can be found on the CCO office door. If you have any questions please contact Erin Marshall at
Interview Process
Completion of the application process for a position does not guarantee a candidate an interview. Candidates selected to be interviewed will be contacted via email to schedule an interview. It is the candidate’s responsibility to make themselves available for an interview and to respond promptly to attempts to schedule an interview.Interviews for Program Director will take place the week of February 16th. You will receive a confirmation email once your application has been received. Please check your email address that you include in this application regularly to avoid missing important information. If there is any major conflict with the interview schedule please contact Erin Marshall, CCO Programming Director, at().
NOTE: The Overall Chair for DanceBlue, Executive Director of Alternative Service Break,and Executive Director for FUSION are selected through a separate application process at a different time due to program requirements.
Description
The Program Directors (ASB, DanceBlue, FUSION, Helping Hands, PAWS, Service Corps, National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Big Blue Pantry, Young at Heart, and MLK Day of Service) are in many ways the face of the Center for Community Outreach to students, faculty, and staff at UK and members of the Lexington community. They are responsible for the planning and implementation of a wide variety of programs and events – one-time service events, regular volunteer opportunities, fundraising efforts, educational programs, and much more. The nature of these programs and events is specific to each program and its intended purpose, and candidates are encouraged to seek additional information from current directors.
Generally, Program and Non- Program Directors should have a passion for community involvement (specific to their area), previous experience with programming and event planning, knowledge of issues facing the UK and Lexington communities, a willingness to build relationships with campus and community partners, and the ability to motivate peers to accomplish a common vision. Program and Non-Program Directors should also possess excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, and be able to perform well under pressure in a fast-paced work environment. Most importantly, Program and Non- Program Directors should be able to balance the interests of UK students with the needs of the Lexington community, bearing in mind that both student learning and community growth are our goal. Non-Program Directors will work toward to enhancing the overall CCO and will have tasks that represent that.
Overall Duties
All members of the Board of Directors will work toward the overall mission and vision of the Center for Community Outreach, and to promote and advance the CCO as a whole. They must possess a basic understanding of all aspects of the organization, both programmatic and operational, and they must represent the organization as a whole in their daily work. They are required to attend weekly board meetings (Wednesdays from 5pm-6:30pm) and planning retreats on February 28th, August7th -8th, and in January. They are also expected to participate in weekly meetings with their advisor, and to be present at other Directors’ programs as available. They should be proactive in their planning, professional in their demeanor, prompt in their communication, and present as an active student leader of the CCO. They should be willing to ask critical questions and to think outside the box, and to assist others within the CCO, as we all work to continually progress the organization. Members of the Board of Directors may also be required to oversee coordinators, committee members, and volunteers, and should be intent to hold these representatives of the CCO to the same standards of professionalism, integrity, stewardship, and intentionality as the Board of Directors.
Office Hours
Each member of the Board of Directors is required to hold at least 5 scheduled office hours each week and be available via phone and e-mail outside of these established office hours. Because of the nature of the Center for Community Outreach, Directors should also expect to commit additional hours (typically around 2-5 hours) outside of scheduled office hours to attend programs and events. Members of the Board of Directors should wear their name badge during office hours held within the CCO, relay phone calls or office visits to other directors, in their absence, keep desk spaces organized and the office space clean, and limit use of CCO resources (e.g. computers and printers) to CCO work.
Compensation
The Executive Director, FUSION Director, and ASB Director are required to be available for the majority of the summer to prepare for summer and Fall events including, but not limited to, K week and new student programming. During the summer they are compensated on an hourly basis (up to 20 hours per week) by the Office of Student Involvement. During the Fall and Spring semester all directors, excluding the Executive Director, are awarded a $550 Book Scholarship by the Center for Community Outreach upon satisfactory completion of their duties each semester.
General Information
Applicant InformationLast Name: / First: / M.I.: / ID#:
Street address: / Apartment/Unit #:
City: / State: / ZIP:
Street (permanent): / Apartment/Unit#:
City: / State: / ZIP:
Cell phone: / Email:
Have you ever held a position in the CCO? If so, when?
Education
College: / Classification:
Major(s): / Cumulative GPA:
Minors: / Expected Graduation Date:
List Involvement with Service and any Leadership Positions
Disclaimer and Signature
I hereby certify that the above information is true to the best of knowledge, I have read the information packet, and I authorize the Center for Community Outreach Nominating Committee to verify my enrollment and grades.
Signature: / Date:
(Please type answers on another document and attach separately. Answer the
Short Response for each position for which you are applying. Select only one
of the positions for which you are applying to complete the Long Response.)
Short Response for Program and Non-Program Directors
Why do you want to be a Program Director of the Center for Community Outreach? What do you expect to gain from it
What skill set(s) do you have to contribute to the CCO in order to improve the organization’s influence and impact on campus, and in the Lexington community?
Please address one or more ways in which you would improve student awareness and student involvement in community service at UK.
Long Response for Program Directors
Create a 1-page, double-spaced, 12-point font, typed plan for a program or eventfor the CCO program of your choice (e.g.PAWS, Young at Heart, etc). Include a detailed plan (who, what, when, where, why, and how), and why you believe this event would benefit the CCO and your program of choice.
Long Response for Non-Program Directors
Director of Operations: Create a 1-page, double-spaced, 12-point font, process to develop and implement a referral process. The referral process is a mechanism that the CCO looks to utilize when students/groups of students (including some class sections) ask to learn more about the CCO’s services. When writing, emphasize how we would engage the students, who would be engaging the students and what the underlying processes working are.
Director of Promotions: With the CCO being moved to Blazer Hall, problems will arise in terms of gaining student involvement and awareness. Create a 1-page, double-spaced, 12-point font, promotions campaign/strategy that addresses this issue. Be sure to address your audience and why you believe this promotion campaign will best highlight the CCO and attract the audience.
Director of Partnerships: Create a 1-page, double-spaced, 12-point font, plan for the CCO to an academic department in collaboration. Please be sure to include what academic department you would engage, who you would engage in the department, and what the end results would be( programming, connecting with what CCO program, etc…