Explore UAB

Community Engagement at UAB

UAB is committed to engaging with the community in meaningful and mutually beneficial collaborations that contribute to the public good.

BlazerPulse
  • From finding volunteers to accessing funding or expertise, this is the community’s front door to UAB.

    BlazerPulse

    BlazerPulse is UAB’s community engagement platform. If you are a local non-profit and would like to partner with UAB, please create an account on givepulse.com and affiliate with UAB.

    Learn more about BlazerPulse

    Benevolent Fund

    Funded entirely by tax-deductible employee contributions, the UAB Benevolent Fund represents the strength and generosity of our UAB community. Pledges to the Benevolent Fund support educational programs, health care screenings, outreach to underserved populations, job training, cutting-edge medical research and more across Birmingham.

    Civic Giving

    If you are interested in having UAB support your organization or event through our Civic Giving program, please complete this form. Requests for civic sponsorship must be submitted 90 days or more prior to the event or deadline by which you require sponsorship assets. Your request will be reviewed by the UAB Civic Giving Committee or routed to the appropriate school or business unit.

    The committee will consider the following criteria in making a decision about whether UAB can fulfill your request:

    • Does your organization meet UAB financial and ethical standards?
    • Does your organization, program, or event advance the mission of UAB?
    • Does your organization, program, or event yield significant impact on the UAB community?
    • Does your organization have an active partnership with UAB?

    If your request is for support through the UAB Benevolent Fund, there is a separate process which you can learn more about here. If your request is for a marketing opportunity, you should fill out the UAB Marketing Approval Form instead of this form. The Marketing Approval Form is only for UAB entities. If your request is for sponsorship of a community event from UAB Medicine, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more about the UAB Health System Charitable Giving Policy.

  • We cultivate progress, strive for excellence through innovation and service. – The Blazer Way

    At UAB, service is a value and priority. Through community-engaged programming, service learning, and volunteerism, UAB students become conscientious citizens and grow as leaders through service.

    BlazerPulse

    BlazerPulse is UAB’s community engagement platform. Explore BlazerPulse to learn about upcoming volunteer events and community partners for you to connect with. Learn more about BlazerPulse

    Service Learning

    The Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research provides resources for students and faculty members in taking or creating courses that incorporate service with a community partner to complement and enhance academic content.

    Leadership through Service

    Through meaningful experiences within our community, UAB students develop as leaders through a stronger understanding of self and others.

    Volunteerism

    The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership provides resources to support volunteerism and intentional reflection to ensure that UAB students develop as responsible citizens on campus and in our community.

    Awards

    Student Excellence Awards honors UAB students and student organizations for their outstanding leadership and service contributions to the campus and community. At the annual ceremony, fourteen awards are presented including four community service awards: Excellence in Service Award, the Community Impact Award, the Outstanding Community Service Project, and Commitment to Community Engagement.

  • UAB serves students, patients, the community and the global need for discovery, knowledge dissemination, education, creativity and the application of groundbreaking solutions. BlazerPulse can connect Blazers to Birmingham through community partnerships and volunteer efforts to shape the future of Alabama’s brightest city.

    BlazerPulse

    BlazerPulse is UAB’s community engagement platform. Explore BlazerPulse to learn about upcoming volunteer events and community partners for you to connect with. Learn more about BlazerPulse

    Staff Council

    The Staff Council supports UAB’s vision, mission, values and goals and advocate for staff-related issues on campus.

    MLK Day of Service

    The MLK Day of Service is an annual student-led event that honors the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. Students commit their time to serve the greater Birmingham Community through various volunteer activities.

    UAB Benevolent Fund

    Funded entirely by tax-deductible employee contributions, the UAB Benevolent Fund represents the strength and generosity of our UAB community. Pledges to the Benevolent Fund support educational programs, health care screenings, outreach to underserved populations, job training, cutting-edge medical research and more across Birmingham.

    Want to contribute? Follow these quick steps:

    1. Visit uab.edu/benfund and click the Donate Now button.
    2. Log in with your BlazerID and password.
    3. Choose to give one hour of your pay per month, 1 percent of your pay per month or a fixed donation amount — all payroll-deducated.
    4. Designate your gift to up to three entities, from Benevolent Fund programming such as Blazer Kitchen and the UAB Habitat House to local programs such as the Boys and Girls Club.
    5. Watch your gift work in your community.
  • BlazerPulse

    BlazerPulse is UAB’s community engagement platform. Explore BlazerPulse to learn about upcoming volunteer events and community partners for you to connect with. Learn more about BlazerPulse

    UAB Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research

    The mission of the UAB Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research is to connect UAB students, faculty, and community nonprofit partners together to enrich student academic learning, promote civic engagement, and to strengthen and support our local and global communities.

    Faculty Fellows

    UAB’s Faculty Fellows in Engaged Scholarship program is a one-year fellowship designed to accelerate the work of faculty members eager to develop exemplary curricular approaches to education. These courses will promote active and ethical citizenship, social responsibility, and engagement. The program aims to integrate the philosophy, pedagogy, and process of service learning into the UAB academic environment.

    Faculty Fellow Application

    Course Designation

    A high-quality service learning course incorporates these fundamentals:

    • Relevant service with a community partner: the community placement is related to course content, and vice versa
    • Community-campus partnerships that are mutually beneficial
    • Students engage in structured reflection throughout the course experience
    • Public dissemination of the work, preferably including a celebration or demonstration with the community partner
    • Service learning courses can be found in the UAB course catalog with the "service learning" attribute.

    Apply for the service learning designation for your course

    Mini Grants

    The UAB Office of Service-Learning and Undergraduate Research offers mini-grants that are intended to directly support activities related to developing, implementing, or expanding academic service-learning opportunities for UAB students.

    Funding Request Form

    Course Support Request

    Instructors can request service learning course support from the Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research for a service learning course. An Outreach and Engagement Fellow will assist by helping with service learning related tasks, such as helping instructors find community partners for a course and teaching them to use BlazerPulse. They can help students design projects for a course and get in contact with their community partner. They can also work with students to create service learning expo presentations and teach them how to use BlazerPulse. The Fellows cannot act as teaching assistants.

    *Add course support request option to website

    Course Speaker Request

    Representatives from the Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research are available to visit courses and speak on opportunities available to students through the office. Requests can be made through

    Link to Course Speaker Request: coming soon

    Provost’s Award

    The Provost’s Awards for Faculty Excellence in Service Learning, Undergraduate Research, Education Abroad, and Learning in a Team Environment honor UAB faculty members who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to engaging undergraduate students in service learning, research, team-based learning, and education abroad experiences

    Publication Opportunities

    Faculty and Staff are highly encouraged to take advantage of the many publication opportunities available to them.

    Link to Publication Request: coming soon

    Donaldson Lecture Series

    The Donaldson Lecture Series is an amazing opportunity for UAB faculty and staff to engage with a group of men who are curious and insightful. Since 1988, UAB employees have made the drive on alternating Tuesday evenings from August to May to speak to a small group of 15-25 student prisoners at this maximum security facility. As we enter the Spring semester, we are in need of guest lecturers. If you are a UAB employee interested in participating, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. View a clip of a documentary that gives a more detailed explanation of the lecture series.

  • Community Partners

    From finding volunteers to accessing funding or expertise, this is the community’s front door to UAB.

    BlazerPulse

    BlazerPulse is UAB’s community engagement platform. If you are a local non-profit and would like to partner with UAB, please create an account on givepulse.com and affiliate with UAB.

    Learn more about BlazerPulse

    Benevolent Fund

    Funded entirely by tax-deductible employee contributions, the UAB Benevolent Fund represents the strength and generosity of our UAB community. Pledges to the Benevolent Fund support educational programs, health care screenings, outreach to underserved populations, job training, cutting-edge medical research and more across Birmingham.

    Civic Giving

    If you are interested in having UAB support your organization or event through our Civic Giving program, please complete this form. Requests for civic sponsorship must be submitted 90 days or more prior to the event or deadline by which you require sponsorship assets. Your request will be reviewed by the UAB Civic Giving Committee or routed to the appropriate school or business unit.

    The committee will consider the following criteria in making a decision about whether UAB can fulfill your request:

    • Does your organization meet UAB financial and ethical standards?
    • Does your organization, program, or event advance the mission of UAB?
    • Does your organization, program, or event yield significant impact on the UAB community?
    • Does your organization have an active partnership with UAB?

    If your request is for support through the UAB Benevolent Fund, there is a separate process which you can learn more about here. If your request is for a marketing opportunity, you should fill out the UAB Marketing Approval Form instead of this form. The Marketing Approval Form is only for UAB entities. If your request is for sponsorship of a community event from UAB Medicine, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more about the UAB Health System Charitable Giving Policy.

  • Students

    We cultivate progress, strive for excellence through innovation and service. – The Blazer Way

    At UAB, service is a value and priority. Through community-engaged programming, service learning, and volunteerism, UAB students become conscientious citizens and grow as leaders through service.

    BlazerPulse

    BlazerPulse is UAB’s community engagement platform. Explore BlazerPulse to learn about upcoming volunteer events and community partners for you to connect with. Learn more about BlazerPulse

    Service Learning

    The Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research provides resources for students and faculty members in taking or creating courses that incorporate service with a community partner to complement and enhance academic content.

    Leadership through Service

    Through meaningful experiences within our community, UAB students develop as leaders through a stronger understanding of self and others.

    Volunteerism

    The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership provides resources to support volunteerism and intentional reflection to ensure that UAB students develop as responsible citizens on campus and in our community.

    Awards

    Student Excellence Awards honors UAB students and student organizations for their outstanding leadership and service contributions to the campus and community. At the annual ceremony, fourteen awards are presented including four community service awards: Excellence in Service Award, the Community Impact Award, the Outstanding Community Service Project, and Commitment to Community Engagement.

  • Staff

    UAB serves students, patients, the community and the global need for discovery, knowledge dissemination, education, creativity and the application of groundbreaking solutions. BlazerPulse can connect Blazers to Birmingham through community partnerships and volunteer efforts to shape the future of Alabama’s brightest city.

    BlazerPulse

    BlazerPulse is UAB’s community engagement platform. Explore BlazerPulse to learn about upcoming volunteer events and community partners for you to connect with. Learn more about BlazerPulse

    Staff Council

    The Staff Council supports UAB’s vision, mission, values and goals and advocate for staff-related issues on campus.

    MLK Day of Service

    The MLK Day of Service is an annual student-led event that honors the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. Students commit their time to serve the greater Birmingham Community through various volunteer activities.

    UAB Benevolent Fund

    Funded entirely by tax-deductible employee contributions, the UAB Benevolent Fund represents the strength and generosity of our UAB community. Pledges to the Benevolent Fund support educational programs, health care screenings, outreach to underserved populations, job training, cutting-edge medical research and more across Birmingham.

    Want to contribute? Follow these quick steps:

    1. Visit uab.edu/benfund and click the Donate Now button.
    2. Log in with your BlazerID and password.
    3. Choose to give one hour of your pay per month, 1 percent of your pay per month or a fixed donation amount — all payroll-deducated.
    4. Designate your gift to up to three entities, from Benevolent Fund programming such as Blazer Kitchen and the UAB Habitat House to local programs such as the Boys and Girls Club.
    5. Watch your gift work in your community.
  • Faculty

    BlazerPulse

    BlazerPulse is UAB’s community engagement platform. Explore BlazerPulse to learn about upcoming volunteer events and community partners for you to connect with. Learn more about BlazerPulse

    UAB Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research

    The mission of the UAB Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research is to connect UAB students, faculty, and community nonprofit partners together to enrich student academic learning, promote civic engagement, and to strengthen and support our local and global communities.

    Faculty Fellows

    UAB’s Faculty Fellows in Engaged Scholarship program is a one-year fellowship designed to accelerate the work of faculty members eager to develop exemplary curricular approaches to education. These courses will promote active and ethical citizenship, social responsibility, and engagement. The program aims to integrate the philosophy, pedagogy, and process of service learning into the UAB academic environment.

    Faculty Fellow Application

    Course Designation

    A high-quality service learning course incorporates these fundamentals:

    • Relevant service with a community partner: the community placement is related to course content, and vice versa
    • Community-campus partnerships that are mutually beneficial
    • Students engage in structured reflection throughout the course experience
    • Public dissemination of the work, preferably including a celebration or demonstration with the community partner
    • Service learning courses can be found in the UAB course catalog with the "service learning" attribute.

    Apply for the service learning designation for your course

    Mini Grants

    The UAB Office of Service-Learning and Undergraduate Research offers mini-grants that are intended to directly support activities related to developing, implementing, or expanding academic service-learning opportunities for UAB students.

    Funding Request Form

    Course Support Request

    Instructors can request service learning course support from the Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research for a service learning course. An Outreach and Engagement Fellow will assist by helping with service learning related tasks, such as helping instructors find community partners for a course and teaching them to use BlazerPulse. They can help students design projects for a course and get in contact with their community partner. They can also work with students to create service learning expo presentations and teach them how to use BlazerPulse. The Fellows cannot act as teaching assistants.

    *Add course support request option to website

    Course Speaker Request

    Representatives from the Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research are available to visit courses and speak on opportunities available to students through the office. Requests can be made through

    Link to Course Speaker Request: coming soon

    Provost’s Award

    The Provost’s Awards for Faculty Excellence in Service Learning, Undergraduate Research, Education Abroad, and Learning in a Team Environment honor UAB faculty members who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to engaging undergraduate students in service learning, research, team-based learning, and education abroad experiences

    Publication Opportunities

    Faculty and Staff are highly encouraged to take advantage of the many publication opportunities available to them.

    Link to Publication Request: coming soon

    Donaldson Lecture Series

    The Donaldson Lecture Series is an amazing opportunity for UAB faculty and staff to engage with a group of men who are curious and insightful. Since 1988, UAB employees have made the drive on alternating Tuesday evenings from August to May to speak to a small group of 15-25 student prisoners at this maximum security facility. As we enter the Spring semester, we are in need of guest lecturers. If you are a UAB employee interested in participating, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. View a clip of a documentary that gives a more detailed explanation of the lecture series.

 

BlazerPulse connects opportunity and community at UAB. From finding volunteers, to accessing funding or expertise, this is the community’s front door to UAB.

Find Volunteer and Community Service Opportunities

Strategic plan

Community engagement is one of the four pillars of the UAB strategic plan. We are committed to the following four objectives:

  • Expanding access to community engagement resources

  • Developing mutually beneficial partnerships

  • Broadening scholarship in the field of community engagement

  • Integrating engagement throughout the university

  • 58% of seniors participated in a community-based project
  • Students, faculty, and staff have recorded 10,101 hours of community experiences so far this year
  • 70 non-profit organizations are active on BlazerPulse, UAB’s community engagement platform

Latest News

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