Center for Community Engagement

About

SRU earns 2020 Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement

Slippery Rock University (SRU) is embracing its dual civic roles: to educate engaged citizens and to positively impact local and global communities. A robust community engagement strategy enhances student retention, fosters leadership skills, and bolsters career readiness. Recognizing these benefits, SRU has established the Center for Community Engagement (CCE), as a strategic approach to align with the university’s Strategic Plan Pillar #3: Commitment to Community Impact & Collaboration. The CCE works to amplify SRU’s community impact, streamline campus-community collaborations, and foster academic and civic integration.

Mission, Vision, & Strategic Goals

In pursuit of Slippery Rock University's educational mission and strategic goals, the mission of the CCE is to provide programming and resources that support and prepare civically minded graduates through university-community collaborations. As such, the CCE will establish SRU as a leader in preparing students for engaged citizenship and community betterment.

See the CCE Proposal: A New Direction for Community Engagement at SRU

What is Community Engagement?

Community engagement is the collaboration between Slippery Rock University and its larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial creation and exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity (adopted from Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2024).

The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2024).

See the SRU Community Engagement Glossary of Terms