Student Community Engagement Center

Annual Events & Collaborations

Join the PSU community as we dig in to specific issues through educational events, teach-ins, and service projects on a single day or during a single week!

What are Big Days & Focus Weeks?

Along with universities and organizations across the nation, we organize large-scale days or weeks of engagement to bring our campus community together to put a spotlight on certain social issues and cultivate a spirit of engagement through service, learning, connection, and reflection. Each of our Big Days and Focus Weeks provide a great opportunity to get out into the community and form connections with other engaged students as you learn, discuss, listen, and engage together to build awareness and work towards positive change around a common cause.

We engage students in three Big Days / Focus Weeks throughout the year:

Fall Term: 

  • Viking Day of Service with the Student Sustainability Center (First week of October
  • Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week (Third week of November)

Winter term:

  • Career Conversations: Social Impact Mixer with University Career Center (First week of February)
  • BloodWorks Blood Drive with the Alumni Society ( Third week of February)

Spring term:

  • Social Change Symposium (April 10, 2026)
  • Earth Day at the Coast with Student Sustainability Center (Fourth week of April)
  • Alumni Serve the City Day with Alumni Society ( First week in May)
  • Alder College Day with Greater Than (Third week in May)

 

A brief description of each of these events is below. If registration is open for an upcoming Focus Week or Big Day, you'll see a link to learn more and sign up. Join us in these community education and action events, as we serve, learn, and lead together!

FALL

people done from solve clean up posing

VIKING DAY OF SERVICE W/ SSC + SOLVE

Viking Day of Service is hosted in collaboration between the Student Community Engagement Center and the Student Sustainability Center, with support from our community partner SOLVE. This event marks the first service opportunity of the academic year, bringing students together to build community.

Five students smile for the camera while standing around a table holding bags of rice they are filling from a central bag.

Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is an annual program where people come together across the country to draw attention to the issues of hunger and homelessness. Typically the third week of November, we help organize educational and service opportunities featuring community partners on and off campus.

WINTER

Group of people talking

Career Conversations: Social Impact Mixer w/ University Career Center

Career Convos: Social Impact Mixer is your opportunity to connect with local nonprofits, government agencies, and community organizations making a difference in Portland. Whether you’re exploring volunteering, public service careers, or simply looking to expand your professional network!

blue buss with blood mascot

BloodWorks Blood Drive w/ the Alumni Society

This event is hosted in partnership with the PSU Alumni Association and Bloodworks Northwest, bringing students and alumni together to support lifesaving care across the Pacific Northwest. Through this collaboration, donors help ensure local hospitals have a reliable blood supply for patients.

SPRING

people standing by bus next to body of water

Earth Day at the Coast w/ SSC

In collaboration with the Student Sustainability Center PSU students spend Earth Day at the Oregon Coast giving back to the community. They help with beach and environmental projects and enjoy optional activities like nature walks, beach time, and exploring Lincoln City, all while connecting with the outdoors

Dont miss out!
grean sign that says serve the city day

Alumni Serve the City Day w/ Alumni Society

A fun and family-friendly opportunity to make a difference while connecting with the Portland State University community. Open to alumni, staff, and students, this special event offers three volunteer opportunities on and around campus where participants can give back and serve the city together.

Sign up today!
group of students holding welcome alder signs

Alder College Day @ PSU w/ Greater Than

PSU student volunteers welcomed kindergarten students to campus to give them a glimpse of college life. In collaboration with Greater Than, they helped lead interactive activities, shared what it’s like to be a college student, and encouraged young learners from diverse and multilingual backgrounds.

For a day full of learning about civil rights and the legacy of Dr. King, I was empowered through the different presentations that were given, the communicative discussion between students and community activists as well as the evening service project at the women’s shelter. It was a great day in itself but the impact it had on me was bigger than I hoped it would be. I learned a lot and shared my ideas and my questions about civil rights, and that allowed me to better understand what it means to find one’s purpose in life.