SP 12-18 - Revised and Updated Charter for the Center for Community Engagement

Mission: (retained verbatim from SP 06-15)

To foster a learning community that facilitates learning for community engagement in our local and global communities and addresses societal challenges through long-term sustainable partnerships.  

Community Engagement:

Community Engagement (CE) is a general umbrella term that refers to any activities, events, or programs in which CI campus members engage with our communities in order to serve our communities, both on and off campus. Educating for community engagement is “enhancing the understanding, the skills, and the motivation that students need to be thoughtful, wellinformed, active, and responsible members of their communities.” CE encompasses the following overlapping component areas:

Service learning (SL): Service learning, as defined by CI policy, is “a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities, while engaging students in reflection upon what was experienced, how the community was benefited, and what was learned.” The defining characteristic of service-learning is the balance of service with learning, taking place under the auspices of university coursework.  

Co-curricular Service: Co-curricular service encompasses service activities that take place outside of university coursework. Such service activities assist and engage with the community in some way and, while not associated with any particular course, also link service to broader learning and developmental opportunities.  

Community-based Research (CBR): Community-based research constitutes research conducted by campus members working in association with community partners in some manner to address needs in the community. CBR can be undertaken by faculty, by students, or (most often) through collaborations between faculty and students; it may be in or outside of the context of coursework.  

Stakeholder groups:

The CCE has three stakeholder groups: Students, Community Partners, and Faculty/Staff. Each stakeholder group has its own needs, and all CCE initiatives are designed to address the needs of one or more of the stakeholders. While the CCE seeks to serve all stakeholders, the primary beneficiary of CCE actions (whether directly or indirectly) are CI students, and they remain at the center of CCE vision and goals.  

Goals:

All CCE goals seek to promote Community Engagement in all of its forms by working with all of our stakeholder groups. The following represent the highest order goals of the CCE, which we seek to fulfill through a range of objectives. (For information on specific objectives and activities, please refer to our strategic plan and annual reports.) 

1. Expanding the number and range of opportunities for involvement in Community Engagement at CI.

2. Promoting awareness and understanding of high impact practices and models for Community Engagement.

3. Cultivating mutually beneficial and long-term partnerships between campus and community partners.

4. Institutionalizing Community Engagement on campus, both through formal initiatives and informal practices.  

Roles and activities:

The CCE fulfills its goals through a range of initiatives. The following broad areas comprise primary initiative areas. 

Providing vision and leadership for CE: The CCE provides vision and leadership to the campus and community regarding the promotion and implementation of CE in all of its forms. That role is enacted through activities such as (but not limited to) the following: strategic planning designed to identify new and promising practices; collecting and disseminating information about best practices (e.g., by making materials available, sponsoring workshops, and engaging in informal networking); and assessing CE practices on campus to identify areas for improvement and models for promotion.  

Building capacities and providing support for CE: The CCE builds capacities among campus and community members in all areas of CE. It also provides direct and indirect support for CE activities in the form of financial and material resources, technical assistance, and guidance - as available and requested. Activities and programs (such as workshops, activity funds, grants, etc.) promotes innovative and high impact practices. Additional specific practices will be to assist in establishing and maintaining effective partnerships between campus and community, and arranging risk management to facilitate partnerships.  

Direct programming: The CCE also sponsors its own CE programs and opportunities on a more limited basis, mostly in the area of co-curricular service (given that the CCE is unable to offer service-learning courses directly). Such activities will include opportunities for CE (such as days of service), and programs designed to highlight and promote community engagement (such as events and documentary series).  

Structure and Governance:

Organizational structure and governance naturally changes as the campus grows, as the Center evolves, and as resources become more or less available. The structure and assignments listed below reflect current operation as of the 2012-13 academic year. It is provided as a description of current operation, and is not meant to be prescriptive of future operation. 

Administration and reporting:  
The Center operates under the Division of Academic Affairs. Leadership of the CCE is undertaken by a Faculty Director and Managing Director who report to the Office of the Provost. Direct management of CCE programs and affairs is led by the Managing Director; assistance with strategic planning and other operations are provided by the Faculty Director. (Position descriptions are provided below.) CCE leaders will also act as formal representative for boards and committees relevant to Community Engagement, including both internal representation (e.g. academic and student affairs committees) and external representation (e.g. the Chancellor’s Office and community organizations).  The CCE will conduct all appropriate reporting to assure that a coherent and missionbound vision for community engagement and service learning is presented to community, CSU, faculty, and students. Reporting will include routine and special reporting to Academic Affairs, as well as creating and presenting the annual report of activities to Academic Affairs (and Committee for Centers and Institutes), and to the Center for Community Engagement at the California State University Chancellor’s Office.  

Leadership & staff:
The leadership and staff positions associated with the CCE will invariably shift with the vicissitudes of resources (institutional and external) and the evolving needs of the CCE. The following list presents leadership as structured during the 2012-13 academic year.  
Faculty Director: The role of the Faculty Director is to work closely with the Managing Director to provide strategic leadership and direction to the CCE. The Faculty Director will also help to promote and implement CCE programs, with particular emphasis on working with faculty. The Faculty Director is a three year appointment made by the Provost’s Office. For each term, nominations will be solicited by the Center for Committees and Institutes and forwarded to the Provost’s Office. Nominees will be assessed on the basis of their experience and commitment to community engagement in all of its forms. The Provost will make the final appointment based on consultation with the Committee on Centers and Institutes and the leadership of the CCE.  
Managing Director: The Managing Director has the primary responsibility for day-to-day programmatic and fiscal management of CCE activities, including general oversight of ongoing programs, activities, and partnerships, and direct supervision of all CCE staff and students working under the auspices of the CCE. The Managing Director will work with the Faculty Director to guide the strategic and long-term development of the CCE, including budgeting, strategic planning, programmatic priorities, cultivation of external funds, etc. The Managing Director will also be the primary liaison to the Chancellor’s Office regarding CE initiatives.  
Community Partner Coordinator: The Community Partner Coordinator serves as the CCE’s primary representative in the community, and providing overall support for partnership development for CE activities. The Coordinator develops and sustains new and existing community partnerships, collects and administers risk management data for partnerships, and maintains the Community Partner database. The Coordinator reports to the Managing Director, and will assist with CE initiatives.  

CCE Advisory Board:
The CCE Advisory Board will advise and assist the leadership team in considering and making decisions concerning broad strategic directions and issues; consult in the development of strategic documents and applications; advise and assist in assessment processes; link campus to community through various initiatives.
Membership of the CCE Advisory Board is designed to represent all of the major stakeholders, consisting of the following: the Faculty Director (who will act as convener); two faculty members (elected by the Academic Senate); two community partners; one representative from Student Affairs; one student representative; one representative from Advancement. All members shall be nominated by the leadership team and appointed by the Provost and VPSA to serve for a term of two years. The Managing Director and Community Partner Coordinator serve as ex officio members.