About Us

The mission of the Office of Engagement Initiatives is to build a culture of community-engaged learning, making it a hallmark of the Cornell undergraduate experience.

Our Values

respect and empathy
collaboration and reciprocity
creativity and experimentation
diversity, equity and inclusion
reflection and growth
multiple forms of knowledge

What We Do

In OEI, we are committed to advancing Cornell University’s mission through community-engaged learning, a set of practices built on partnership-based teaching, research, leadership and scholarship.

We’re inspired by the university’s deep history of public engagement and by Cornellians’ desire to tackle society’s greatest challenges. And we know that community-engaged learning (CEL) is a powerful and effective way for faculty, staff, students and community members to learn with and from one another to make positive change.

Learn more about CEL – what it is, why it matters and how to do it.

Through workshops, consultations, grants, faculty fellowships, student leadership programs and more, we support Cornell’s growing ecosystem of high-quality CEL opportunities. Our overarching goal is for every undergraduate to have at least one meaningful CEL experience — an experience where they develop the skills, insight and humility they’ll use as lifelong learners and leaders with a public purpose.

It’s an ambitious objective, and, in 2020, we launched a five-year strategic plan to guide our work. Our five focus areas are:

Support a variety of avenues for undergraduate involvement in CEL at Cornell — through courses, leadership development programs, internships, student group activities, research labs, living-learning environments and more
Launch an Engaged College Initiative, where every undergraduate college can tailor CEL to its unique strengths and long-term goals
Nurture impactful partnerships to maximize positive change in communities, measure the outcomes of CEL programs and share these results on and off campus
Grow and support the network of people across Cornell who are passionate about CEL as a way to advance student learning, transform pedagogy and research and benefit communities
Continue to serve as a central resource, capacity builder and knowledge hub for Cornell’s CEL initiative

Who We Are

The Office of Engagement Initiatives is home to 12 professional staff who work closely with the vice provost for engagement and land-grant affairs, two provost’s fellows for public engagement, five graduate student program coordinators and 10+ undergraduate Engaged Ambassadors.

But our team extends well beyond the walls of the Engaged Cornell Hub, where you’ll find our desks and coffee mugs.

Learn more about our team, our leadership and our network of collaborators.

What We Offer

The OEI team is all about building the capacity of faculty, staff and students to design, implement, and reflect upon various CEL activities, and our grants and programs reflect that focus. We’re also committed to growing the number of community partners and alumni who engage with faculty, staff and students; improving systems for logistical support; and sharing and celebrating CEL across the university.

For students, we support or offer curricular (for credit) and co-curricular (non-credit) programming, including

community-engaged learning courses,
a Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership,
workshops and trainings and
funding for projects.

We work with faculty and staff members to incorporate community-engaged learning into their work through

What Happened to “Engaged Cornell”?

As of fall 2020, the university is using Engaged Cornell as a call to action for all public engagement activities. Community-engaged learning is a type of public engagement, so we are still part of Engaged Cornell. But the term has been broadened to include the many ways that Cornellian’s have a positive impact on the world. Learn more on the university’s public engagement webpage.