1. Home
  2. Academics
  3. Colleges & Schools
  4. College of Health Sciences and Human Services
  5. Departments
  6. Health, Human Services and Public Policy
  7. Hands-on Learning
  8. Become a Community Partner

Become a Community Partner

Hands-on Learning

Build the Future of Health and Human Services

Partner with Cal State Monterey Bay to give students meaningful, hands-on experience while strengthening health and human services in our region.

The Health, Human Services and Public Policy Department works with nearly 200 community partners to connect students with professional learning opportunities. As a community partner, your organization can help students build the skills, confidence and connections they need to enter careers in social work, public health, public administration and public service.

 

What to Expect as a Community Partner

Through the Field Practice Program, students apply what they learn in the classroom within health and human service organizations throughout the region.

Students complete at least 240 field hours before graduation, typically spending six to eight hours per week at their placement. Most students remain with one organization for three semesters, giving them time to develop their skills, build professional relationships and gain a deeper understanding of the organization and the communities it serves.

Students also participate in field seminars during their junior and senior years, where they reflect on their experiences and connect their fieldwork to their academic and professional development.

What We Look for in Community Partners

Field Practice Program sites should provide a supportive, professional environment where students can learn, contribute and develop their skills.

Community partners should:

  • Demonstrate ethics and values consistent with social work, public health and/or public service.
  • Be in good standing within the community and their profession.
  • Provide opportunities for students to experience multidisciplinary work, whether across departments or through collaborative community projects.
  • Support the goals of field-based education and provide an appropriate staff mentor with adequate time to guide students.
  • Welcome students without discrimination based on age, gender, race, national origin, disability or sexual orientation.
  • Provide a safe, professional workspace and an orientation that includes applicable safety policies.
  • Commit to providing sustainable field placement opportunities for current and future students.

How To Become a Community Partner

Start by submitting the Cal State Monterey Bay Request to Initiate Partnership Form. This helps Cal State Monterey Bay learn about your organization, your mission, and the types of learning opportunities you can offer students across the university.

The form takes about 10-20 minutes and cannot be saved in progress.

You’ll be asked to share:

  • Organization mission, population served and contact information
  • Site requirements, safety policies and risk protocols
  • Which Cal State Monterey Bay Programs (Collaborative Health and Human Services, Academic Internships, Service Learning, MSW, etc) you are interested in partnering with
  • General description of the  learning opportunity (activities, hours, expectations, etc.)

This formal agreement makes your organization an official CSUMB community partner for five years.

  • This agreement is required for any organization that hosts students in any capacity
  • An authorized signatory must complete the form
  • This agreement does not obligate you to host students every term or limit you to service learning students only
  • Complete the agreement using this link: 

University Agency Agreement for Placement of Students

Organizations with existing partnership agreements do not need to resubmit. Contact us to verify your status.

Submit additional details relevant to Health, Human Services, and Public Policy by completing the CHHS Organization Application form.

To support a strong match, we encourage you to include clear role descriptions, time commitments and any special skills required.

View an example of a well-prepared opportunity.

A site visit will be conducted by program staff that will include a site risk assessment and an orientation to the program and processes. Contact the Field Program Coordinator to schedule the On-Site Assessment.

The organization's responsibility to the student is to provide experiences that facilitate their professional development and include:

    • Identification of an appropriate mentor who will oversee, support and evaluate the student's internship experience; who will share organizational values, personal experiences and contacts with the student; and evaluate the student, as required, at the end of each semester
    • Ongoing supervision of at least one hour per week to discuss the student's progress on projects and learning activities, professional development, and related challenges
    • A formal orientation to the organization, its mission, policies and procedures (including workplace safety), various departments or programs, and any collaborating partnerships in the community, at the beginning of the internship
    • Adequate workspace and training for the student to perform the duties required by the organization
    • Facilitate student involvement in staff and committee meetings, conferences and seminars, and any related activities that provide the student with opportunities for making professional contacts
    • Engage student in a variety of experiences as an active participant in providing health and human services
    • Adequate student access to appropriate organizational records for the student's research and class assignments, respecting the confidentiality of clients
    • Agreed-upon experiences, activities, and duties that assist the student in achieving competency in health and human services practice
    • It is the organization's responsibility to update the CalState S4 database prior to recruitment of interns each semester 
    • Mentor availability for consultation with Faculty, the Field Practice Program Coordinator and/or staff
    • Mentor attendance at a Health Human Services and Public Policy Mentor Orientation provided at the beginning of each semester. This event provides new and continuing mentors with an orientation and updates to the goals and requirements related to the Field Practice Program

Once your partnership is active, you’ll receive key updates from the Health, Human Services, and Public Policy Department throughout the semester.

Keep an eye on your email for:

  • Intern recruitment opportunities
  • Mentor Orientations
  • Other important messages from HHSPP staff and faculty

Mentor a Student

Support a student’s professional growth by sharing your experience, providing guidance and helping connect classroom learning with professional practice.

Learn More About Mentoring a Student
Student explaining something to a professor who is listening with books in the background.