On Thursday, March 18, 2021, the Office of Community Engaged Learning joined with the newly created Center for Community Research and Education to host the Spring Faculty Partner Roundtable. The event was well attended by both Lewis faculty members and representatives from local community organizations. The event began with an introduction to the new Center for Community Research and Education (CCRE). The Center was launched in the Fall of 2020 and is housed in the College of Education and Social Sciences.
In addition to providing a space for conversations between faculty members and community partners, this semester’s roundtable also provided an overview of the differences and interconnectedness between the OCEL and the CCRE. The Center focuses on facilitating partnerships between faculty in the College of Education and Social Sciences and community organizations in order to provide social science based research that meets the needs of the community. Community partners could include local or national non-profit organizations, local schools, or local government institutions. In addition to facilitating research, the Center also partners with community organizations to provide educational programming for the public. For more information on the Center’s work, please feel free to contact the Director, Dr. Jennifer Tello Buntin (buntinje@lewisu.edu).
The CCRE works in cooperation with the OCEL, which focuses on facilitating community engaged learning opportunities for students in CEL-designated courses. Both the OCEL and the CCRE co-hosted the Faculty-Partner Roundtable and were pleased to have an opportunity to demonstrate to current and potential partners the ways that they collaborate to strengthen the relationship between the University and the local community.
The Faculty-Partner Roundtable was attended by faculty from all colleges in the University, as well as representatives from co-curricular units such as the Office of Career Services and Campus Ministry. Representatives from over 20 community organizations also participated. The event was virtual and provided opportunities for both one-on-one and small group discussions. Both the OCEL and the CCRE look forward to hosting another roundtable in the fall.
