Director, Center Community-Engaged Learning

Director, Center for Community-Engaged Learning

The Director of CCEL provides strategic, administrative, and programmatic leadership for curricular community-engaged learning (CEL). Reporting to the Vice Provost for Public Engagement, the Director is responsible for advancing high-quality, high-impact CEL across the curriculum; stewarding a network of community partnerships; leading staff and managing operations; and representing CCEL within University-wide and national engaged learning communities. The CCEL Director collaborates with units across the Twin Cities campus as well as the other four system campus engagement leaders on CEL-related initiatives, such as CEL course attributes and campus engagement plans.

In addition to maintaining a strong on-campus presence, this position requires work in and with the local and surrounding communities through in-person meetings and attendance at various networking events.

The Director is charged with expanding the scale and reach of CEL courses through a faculty empowerment, capacity-building, and consultation approach; extending the network of community partners interested in collaborating with faculty on CEL courses through reciprocal, mutually-beneficial engagement; working with the Office for Public Engagement to implement the Give Pulse engagement management platform’s curricular module; and exploring strategies to build department-level community partnerships for CEL.

This is an opportunity for a visionary and collaborative leader to shape the next chapter of community engagement at a major research university deeply committed to its land‑grant mission and its responsibility to the communities of Minnesota.

• Strategic and Programmatic Leadership (50%):
  • Establish strategic direction and goals for CCEL, ensuring that they align with the University’s broader institutional vision and goals for public engagement, faculty development, and undergraduate and graduate education, and develop a 5-year strategic plan.
  • Develop infrastructure to create comprehensive academic CEL supports for designing, implementing, and assessing high-quality, high-impact community-engaged learning courses through a variety of models, including direct service, project-based learning, and department-level partnerships with community, and provide course support.
  • Ensure that activities and partnerships comply with University policies (e.g., affiliation agreements, partnership MOUs, equal opportunity, Title IX, etc.).
  • Cultivate the University’s partnership with National Student Exchange (NSE) to provide students with access to unique, off-campus study educational opportunities.
  • Explore multiple pathways to advance engaged learning and career readiness outcomes aligned with the Elevate Extraordinary 2030 strategic roadmap through the Community Engaged Scholars Program and collaboration with other offices, such as Career Services, the Office of Undergraduate Education, and Student Affairs.
  • Collaborate with the Office for Public Engagement to pilot and fully implement Give Pulse’s academic module to enable instructor management of CEL courses.
  • Expand co-curricular offerings for students through the Peer Advising Program, Give Pulse, and an expanded network of partners.
  • Network with community engagement professionals locally, statewide, and nationally (e.g., Campus Compact, Engagement Scholarship Consortium, IARSCLE) to keep apprised of and contribute to understanding the current landscape of CEL, identify emerging trends, and inform campus engagement initiatives. Participate in practical and scholarly initiatives designed to advance the field.
• Partnership Development (20%):
  • Serve as the campus’s lead administrator and contact person for CEL on the Twin Cities campus and with external partners.
  • Expand and steward a diverse portfolio of community partnerships (e.g., nonprofits, government agencies, schools, businesses) that can be authentically integrated with University courses for purposes of academic application, civic engagement, and career readiness.
  • Coordinate partner onboarding, support resources, and recognition, including the Outstanding Community Partner Awards…