Name: Michelle Hahn
Title: Program advisor for community service, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership, Department of Student Life
Background: Native of Cincinnati, Ohio; BA in sociology from DePauw University, 2002; master's degree in higher education and student affairs administration, University of South Carolina, May 2006; former graduate assistant, Columbia College; named to current position in July 2006

Tell us about your job. My job is to plan campus-wide service opportunities for Carolina students, faculty, and staff, and to serve as a liaison to non-profit service agencies in Columbia. Our office publicizes volunteer opportunities and events at www.sa.sc.edu/communityservice. I make sure the University is up-to-date about service agencies' volunteer needs and how we can match those needs to the interests of the University community.

What are the major service events of the year your office works on? One of our largest programs is the Service Saturdays where we provide opportunities for up to 200 students, faculty, and staff to volunteer in the community once a month. Our office also is engaged in helping classes find service learning opportunities, and we coordinate The Martin Luther King Day of Service, the Carolina Cares holiday drive in November, a service fair on Greene Street in September, and The Day of Dillon, where we volunteer in a low-income school in Dillon, S.C., along what is known as the Corridor of Shame. We also sponsor alternative break service trips in other states and other countries. During the 2006-07 school year Community Service Programs sponsored volunteer efforts for at least 3,419 students totaling 10,400 hours of service.

How would you characterize USC's impact on the community through its service activities? The University has a powerful impact. In 2006, the department was named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National Service in recognition of Carolina's commitment to an active engagement in the community through public service.

If people are interested in finding a volunteer activity for themselves, their group, or a class, can they come to you for suggestions or references? Yes. We provide a listing online of our partnering nonprofits and would love to talk with anyone about what kind of volunteer experience they're interested in.

What's the importance of public service for a place like Carolina from the standpoint of it being a teaching tool and the beneficial effects service has on the community? I think service is part of the mission of the institution and I hope all students are committed to utilizing their talents in public service when they graduate. I believe that service can be a powerful tool to impact students. We want to teach them about being a civic leader, how to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to real-life situations, and that they are important and can make an impact and give back.

How do you unwind when you're not working? In my personal life, family and friends are important to me as well as my faith community. I also enjoy listening to live music and like to relax in coffee shops.

8/07