Community Engagement and Collaborative Learning Network

About
The Community Engagement and Collaborative Learning (CECL) Network is composed of curricular programs, interested faculty, students, and administrative representatives, has facilitated the implementation of the new Division I CEL-1 and the Division II CEL-2 requirements. The CECL Network extends the capacity of academic programs that already provide off-campus internship and learning opportunities for students. Over the next several years, the Network will work to extend the infrastructure and resource base at Hampshire to support a more diverse range of in- and out-of-classroom collaborative learning opportunities. It will also work to enable more fruitful and sustainable partnerships with community-based organizations.

CECL Staff

 * Myrna Breitbart, Academic Director, x5457
 * E-mail: [mailto:mbreitbart@hampshire.edu mbrietbart@hampshire.edu]


 * Mary Bombardier, Assistant Dean of Community Engagement, x6089
 * E-mail: mbombardier@hampshire.edu

Ivana Staiti, Assistant Director, x6784  E-mail: istaiti@hampshire.edu

Vision
The Community Engagement &amp; Collaborative Learning (CECL) NETWORK seeks to extend the capacity of Hampshire College to support its students and faculty to make meaningful contributions to social justice and the well being of others through engaged learning, public scholarship, innovative teaching, and the development of reciprocal and sustainable community partnerships. Cultivation of engaged citizenship through these means enables pressing social and environmental issues to be addressed while also enriching the educational experience for students. A culture of individualized programs of study is complemented by opportunities for mutual and collaborative learning both inside and outside the traditional classroom.

Mission
The CECL NETWORK supports the implementation of the Community Engagement &amp; Learning (CEL) requirements as well as the expansion of meaningful opportunities throughout the curriculum for students and faculty to become involved in community-engaged projects that address critical social needs. This is accomplished through the:


 * Formation of creative alliances among Hampshire’s interdisciplinary academic programs and curricular clusters to generate new opportunities for community/college collaboration, attract new resources to the college and build program capacity.
 * Recruitment of students and faculty from appropriate areas of the curriculum to work on specific community-defined needs over the short- and long-term.
 * Development of resources to support faculty in the design of new community engaged courses, project-based learning, and public scholarship.
 * Development of resources for students to prepare them for work in diverse communities; equip them with the tools to do meaningful reflection on their learning; and cultivate their abilities as mentors and leaders.
 * Design of an active website to enable students, faculty and community partners to find internships; access information on community partner needs and ongoing projects; identify resources to support community-based work; and disseminate public scholarship.
 * Encouragement of curricular innovation and the invention of more novel tools to evaluate the impacts of community engagement on student learning and on the communities with whom we partner.