The Community Engagement Scholars Program (CESP) is a program for students who want to make a commitment to community engagement during their undergraduate experience. Students complete 400 hours of community engagement work, participate in reflective workshops and assignments, and complete a 1 credit senior capstone project. Because of the rigorous nature of the program, students are also recognized by the Board of Regents with a notation on their official transcript and a medal of distinction. The program is open to all undergraduate students in every major and college.
CESP Program Requirements
-
400 Community Engagement Hours: Complete 400 hours of community engagement addressing social issues and community needs. Community engagement includes volunteering, paid internships/jobs with nonprofit organizations, research, advocacy experiences, and volunteering through a community-engaged learning course.
-
6 Reflections on Community Engagement Experiences: Submit a total of six reflections exploring key program themes. Scholars Program advisors are available to discuss the variety of ways that you can approach completing this requirement. Options include written reflections, group reflection sessions (RAP sessions), creative projects, and presentations.
-
8 Credits of Community Engaged Coursework: CESP students must complete 8 credits (two courses) of community-engaged learning coursework. Note: the community-engaged learning hours you complete in this coursework will count towards your 400 Community Engagement hour requirement. For this requirement, you may choose from a variety of designated community-engaged learning courses or explore alternatives to designated courses.
-
2 Advisor meetings: Students must meet with a program advisor twice during their time in the program to reflect on their experiences and make sure they are on track to complete the program by graduation.
-
Capstone Experience: CESP 3901, the Integrative Community Engagement Project (ICEP), and the final reflection Integration and Contextualization: Completed during senior year, students enroll in CESP 3901 and complete their ICEP concurrently as well as their final reflection.
The CESP requirements should be completed over the course of your undergraduate career as outlined in the following CESP program timeline.
Become a Scholar!
Next Steps...
