Community engagement gets bigger voice at CSUSM

Dr. Patricia Prado-Olmos
Vice President of Community Engagement
California State University San Marcos

When Cal State San Marcos created a division in 2011 expressly for the purpose of forging stronger ties with the surrounding region, the idea was considered bold and somewhat novel in the realm of higher education.

Over the years, the division of Community Engagement has broadened in scope and impact, becoming one of the pillars of the institutional mission at CSUSM. Now it’s getting an even bigger seat at the table.

President Ellen Neufeldt announced in August that, in recognition of its importance across campus and a desire to have its influence elevated further, Community Engagement would be moving into the Office of the President in time for the start of the 2020-21 academic year.

“Particularly now, as we prepare our students for active citizenship in a society that is reckoning with its history of systemic racism, Community Engagement is a key partner in the work in which

Students participate in the 2017 welcome breakfast for The Alliance, a CSUSM partnership with local K-12 schools. The Alliance will be moving into the president’s offi ce along with other programs from the division of Community Engagement.

we now must more deeply engage,” Neufeldt said.

Now, as Community Engagement begins a new chapter in the president’s office, it has a fresh accolade to trumpet. Earlier this month, CSUSM was ranked No. 27 on a list by Great Value Colleges of the top 30 colleges that are excelling in community outreach, with the website highlighting the tribal engagement program as a standout.

CSUSM was one of just two universities in California, and the only one in the CSU system, to make the list.

As part of the changes, which also will involve the Office of Inclusive Excellence and the Office of Communications moving underneath the president, I have been given a new title – chief community engagement officer (CCEO), reflecting my charge to work with faculty, staff and students across the university to more deeply connect with the region.

Community engagement, like diversity and inclusion, undergirds the values CSUSM stands for. This model transcends divisions, and one of the most important outcomes will be furthering the connections and conversations across campus and with the external community. As part of the president’s office, Community Engagement will be able to serve as a door to welcoming community members to our campus.”

Accompanying me into the president’s office will be several programs and initiatives that are crucial to the notion of community engagement as a university-wide priority – community outreach, government relations, community engaged scholarship (CES), tribal engagement and The Alliance, a partnership with 10 local school districts to create a pathway to college access and success. New initiatives also will be adopted, including possible ties between economic development and the new Innovation Hub on campus.

Other parts of Community Engagement have been dispersed elsewhere across campus. The Office of Internships has shifted to the Career Center, and the initiatives of civic learning and service learning have joined the Office of Undergraduate Studies.

Community Engagement may have a different structure, but its vision remains unflinching. That’s no surprise for a division that in 2015 received the Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, becoming one of only 360 other U.S. colleges and universities to earn the prestigious designation that reflects an institution’s commitment to engagement through teaching, research, service and partnerships.

Even though it’s not on campus this academic year, Cal State San Marcos is, as always, committed to doing the best it can for its students, staff and faculty, and the c

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