Community Outreach

Murray State University is committed to bettering our region. It is the goal of the Community Outreach office to bridge MSU with the region through informed, organized programs to grow local education, industry, and passion projects.
We offer a variety of camps, workshops, Continuing Education Credits, and online career training programs to students and the public. Workshops and customized trainings can be provided for area businesses, as well as skills training for professionals. If you or your organization is interested in using Murray State’s conference facilities, or is interested in customized training, please contact us.

Staying Connected in a Time of Social Distancing

COVID-19 is community spread. This means that is is already present throughout our communities and can be transmitted in nearly any public space. State and local governments have implemented safety measures that you've probably heard of including closing of in-person non-essential businesses, work from home when possible, online schooling, and social distancing. By reducing the amount of people we come into contact with, we reduce transmission which keeps our hospitals functioning at manageable levels. Every person should be well familiar with social distancing by now, but what exactly is there to do in our homes? Check out each topic below for ideas to stay connected while you're distancing.

Socially Distant

  • Use a video call app to connect with friends. Popular choices are Zoom, Facetime, Hangouts, Skype, and Whatsapp.
  • Have a Netflix Party where you can chat with friends as you watch a show together.
  • Make a homemade card and mail it with a stamp from the new 2020 collection.  If you're not sure who to send it to, check out this list of philanthropies accepting hand-written letters.

Playfully Distant

  • The Quiet Year is a tabletop game for older kids and adults. All you need is paper, pencil, and a deck of cards.
  • Dig out the gear from your closet and fly a kite, cruise on rollerskates, or play frisbee with other members of your household.
  • Keep your dog or other pet engaged during quarantine. Use this time to train them in a new game or task.

Creatively Distant

  • Create a postcard and send it to the Murray Art Guild to join in the P3 Mail Art Exhibit.
  • Learn about artists on the local podcast Something From Nothing.
  • Join Murray artist (and Summer Art Workshop Director) Michelle Moode's All Alone Together zine-making collaborative project.
  • Join Murray artist Ann Flower's kid-friendly Oooooh So Nice Art Class.
  • Chalk your driveway andhang positive art in your windows for passersby to admire. If a friend could use some cheer, leave a positive chalk message at their home.
  • At noon everyday, join Kennedy Center Artist-in-Residence Mo Willems for a Lunch Doodle. 

Curiously Distant

Hungrily Distant

Restlessly Distant

  • Explore your neighborhood and keep an eye out for rainbows. If you spot one, submit it to the Rainbow Connection group on Google Maps. If you have supplies at home, make one of your own and post it for others to discover. Teddy bears can also be displayed as part of the Bear Hunt.
  • Visit the Arboreteum at Murray State University.  See the seasonal blooms, rain garden, honeybee hives, and maybe even a pair of geese nesting at the pond. There is also a little free library located along a walking path.
  • Find other Little Free Libraries for a new book to read or build one of your own.
  • Choose an interesting item from your home and hide a new geocache for your community.
  • Admire Madisonville's Art Parks and ARTcan walk with creations by local metalsmith Tim Corum.

Organizationally Distant

  • Tackle that box of papers and organize tax info, medical records, bills, and other personal papers.
  • Review your digital photos on your phone and personal computer. Back up the photos important to you with a cloud-based service or on a flash drive.
  • Most donation centers are closed, but spring is always a great time to clear out your wardrobe. Repurpose clothes into cleaning rags, dog toys, or scrap crafting fabric.
  • Go through your pantry or freezer and use up those odd ingredients by searching for new recipes to try.
  • Make this week the goal to organize one area of your home: the garage, kids room, the box of electronic chargers, or the Tupperware cabinet.

Wildly Distant

  •  Pack up the car and visit LBL's Elk and Bison Prairie. For $5 per car, you can drive the loop through the prairie, with opportunities to pull over for better viewing or to learn about the ecosystem.
  • See the Tennessee Aquarium's Penguin Rock, River Otter Falls, and Secret Reef live webcams to see what the critters do when no guests are around.

The Community Outreach office was formerly known as Non-Credit and Youth Programs with Regional Academic Outreach or Continuing Education and Academic Outreach.