The Center for Community Engaged Learning supports university faculty and academic staff across all colleges and majors as they partner with community to create community-engaged learning experiences for students as a part of academic coursework. Community-engaged learning strategies in the classroom range from direct service to advocacy to social innovation to philanthropy and more.

Academic community-engaged learning combines institutional and community resources to address challenges facing communities through engagement that includes:

• addressing societal needs identified by a community;
• intentional integration of learning objectives co-created with community and higher education partner(s);
• student preparation and ongoing critical reflection;
• clearly articulated benefits for students, community, and campus partners; and
• opportunities for students to critically examine social issues and situate self within a community setting.

Over the course of 2018–2019 CCEL staff supported students, faculty, and community partners in a variety of ways, including assisting students with finding community-engaged learning placements; hosting networking and consultation opportunities for faculty to workshop course development ideas; and arranging community partner/instructor conversations over coffee to make introductions and explore ideas. The center also facilitated successful student workshops to foster cultural humility while serving, including piloting the Situated Spartan (a power and privilege workshop), and the Asset-Based Community Engagement workshop, with over 350 students in 8 classrooms across campus.

Transportation Assistance/Breaking Down Barriers to CEL

With generous financial assistance from Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, the Center for Community Engaged Learning:

• Employed 8 driver ambassadors
• Coordinated 2 shuttle vans
• Registered 249 students riders

With generous financial assistance from Capital Area Transportation Authority:

• Over 5,000 CATA bus tokens were distributed to student volunteers