Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement
WHAT WE DO
The Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement empowers campus and community partners to fight poverty through education, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Our Signature Initiatives
AmeriCorps and National Service
The North Mississippi VISTA Project (NMVP) is an AmeriCorps VISTA Program. Volunteers in Service to America (VISTAs) serve indirectly, building capacity in non-profits, Title I Schools, and government entitites through a one-year, full-time placement. The NMVP, with its twenty-seven AmeriCorps members, fights poverty in a twenty-eight county service area.
The Grisham-McLean Institute has also been awarded a planning grant from Volunteer Mississippi to conceptualize and develop a new direct service program. This program will allow AmeriCorps members to connect with longtime partners of the institute to directly serve their communities.
CEED and Student Engagement
The Catalyzing Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) Initiative works with students and faculty to build actionable partnerships with Mississippi communities. These partnerships inspire a sense of entrepreneurship in our scholars while promoting economic development in rural Mississippi communities.
The CEED Initiative is funded with generous support from the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation.
M Partner and Place-based Partnerships
M Partner is a community engagement effort that seeks to improve quality of life. M Partner offers a framework for community and university representatives to advance priority projects in partner cities across the state. M Partner affiliates with credit-bearing courses, offers community service opportunities, conducts research, facilitates internships, and provides technical assistance to advance community priorities. M Partner is a signature initiative of the Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement and its work to empower campus and community partners to fight poverty through education, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Faculty and Staff
Albert Nylander
- Professor of Sociology and Director of the McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement
Laura Martin
- Associate Director, McLean Institute
Emily Echols
- Project Manager
Tracee Brooks
- Project Manager
Angie Chapman Benson
- Operations Coordinator II
Jacee Palmer
- Project Coordinator
Dayton Ashby
- Volunteer
Jalon Young
- Volunteer
In the News
Industry Engagement
OXFORD, Miss. – Over the last decade, more than 100 University of Mississippi students have interned in communities across the state, thanks to a Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement program.
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Community / Honors & Awards -
Community / Events
A Research Institute
The Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement is proud to be a research institute in the College of Liberal Arts within the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
We study social behavior, institutions, and structures within human societies and examine the cultural, social, and biological aspects of human life across different societies and historical periods.
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About the Institute
Hear from our director, learn about our namesakes and history, and engage with our Faculty, Staff, and Advisory Board.
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Read More on eGrove
Access our eGrove page and read our strategic plan, from our publications, and access our research and scholarship.
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Apply for a National Service Placement
North Mississippi VISTA Project
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Spring 2025
Now accepting applications for AmeriCorp VISTAs in the North Mississippi VISTA Project to start no earlier than Spring 2025.
Apply Here