The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) cultivates active citizenship through community engagement and scholarship. Our programs empower students to explore their civic identities, develop leadership skills, and collaboratively address community-identified needs.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching defines community engagement as the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.
The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of university knowledge and resources with those of the public 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.
Utah State University’s institution-wide commitment to community engagement has earned national recognition through the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, the highest honor for community engagement in higher education. The Center for Community Engagement led USU’s successful first-time application in 2020, which was selected by the Carnegie Foundation as a national exemplar for other institutions to model. Learn more about the classification and the current reclassification cycle.
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Seventeen Utah State University students, including four from USU Eastern, traveled to Iceland for a study abroad program that immersed them in wildlife ecology, renewable energy, agriculture and sustainability through hands-on learning.
Utah State University Blanding hosted the DRUMM Teacher Workshop and Cultural Exchange on April 10-11, bringing together educators, students and community presenters for two days focused on mathematical modeling, cultural learning and collaboration.
The Utah Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps program within the Utah State University Center for Community Engagement, has received $610,000 in funding through the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation’s Outdoor Recreation Initiative.
