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Center for Community Engagement

Bringing Communities and the University Together

The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) plays an important role in advancing CSULB’s Beach 2030 Vision and Strategic Priorities through a broad range of programs, initiatives, projects and equitable High Impact Practices (HIPs), epitomized by mutually beneficially and reciprocal relationships and partnerships centered around diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice and the public good. The CCE achieves this shared vision of excellence by expanding, strengthening and creating “… more opportunities to implement impactful curricula and experiential learning, and open doors for even more ambitious projects for the public good."

Our Four Pillars

We enrich students’ educational experiences, providing high-impact practices through programs in:

A high impact teaching approach utilizing community-based experiential learning to connect theory and practice through critical reflection. It emphasizes learning through community service activities that are fundamental to course outcomes and provides benefit to students as well as community partners by promoting sustainable campus-community relationships that enhance student learning and address community-identified needs.

A high impact learning experience that engages students in meaningful internship opportunities that integrate knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields.

A partnership approach to research that equally engages the university and community organizations. Each participant contributes their expertise, with shared responsibility and ownership, to integrate the knowledge gained with actions to improve the well-being of the community. (Israel, Schulz, Parker, and Becker, 1998).

Authentic collaborations between CSULB and local, regional, national and global communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.

Center for Community Engagement: A Strategic Vision Unveiled