Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership

Lead with a public purpose. Participating in our community-engaged leadership programs will challenge you to bring about the world you wish to see — now and throughout your life.

You’ll build on your interests and apply your experiences (from courses to extracurricular activities) to our program to develop the skills you need to be a community-engaged leader. We believe, and our community-engaged leadership programs reflect:

Leadership is a group process and collective attribute;
Leaders build the capacity of groups, and strengthen agency and self-determination of communities;
Leaders cultivate new leadership; and
Leaders are lifelong learners, and critical reflection is a key to lifelong learning.

You’ll strengthen professional, academic and civic skills while you learn how to:

Model collective leadership within your groups
Practice mentorship-based critical reflection, including identifying and building a mentorship family
Verify that your impact matches your intent in your community and leadership activities
Practice empathy and cultural awareness when working with others
Clarify your purpose, critically reflecting on what the world needs from you
Improve your public speaking, writing and dialogue skills
Build and develop partnerships to further the public good

Both the individual and group community-engaged leadership programs culminate in a certificate. Each integrates community-engaged learning, leadership education and critical reflection. The individual and group certificates are not mutually exclusive, but rather individuals and groups can apply their activities to each program at the same time.

Have questions about our community-engaged leadership programs? Come to drop-in Zoom office hours with a student Engaged Ambassadors.

Group Certificate

Groups that participate will gain stronger alignment between their mission or purpose and their day-to-day activities, coaching and mentoring by OEI staff, promotion on the OEI website and social media, group funding and more.

Groups that have earned the certificate:

Black Students United – 2019
Dyson Students of Color Coalition – 2019
Early College Awareness – 2020, 2021
The Ecology House – 2019
Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association – 2021
Les Femmes de Substance– 2019, 2020, 2021
H/EOP Ambassadors – 2020, 2021
Ithaca Tenants Union Housing Hotline – 2021
Phi Delta Epsilon – 2020
Scholars in Our Society and Africa (SOSA) – 2020

Structure and Time Commitment

Groups have a full academic or calendar year to complete the program. It is possible to earn the award in one summer break or winter break + spring semester if your group already has a community partner and is committed to attending leadership workshops on a quicker timeline.

Typically, in the first semester, leadership team and active members participate in workshops and dialogues and confirm one off-campus community partner. Throughout the second semester, group members take on a project with their partner and practice critical reflection.

Leadership Education

At least one member of leadership team commits to participating in and completing our individual Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership
At least 25% of leadership team AND 25% of active members attend Foundations of Community-Engaged Learning (8 hours) (first semester).
At least 50% of leadership team participate in a 3-hour leadership dialogue (end of first semester or start of second).
Three coaching sessions each year, including end-of-year succession planning conversation with incoming team

Community Engagement

At least 50% of active members complete 20 hours each (second semester)

Critical Reflection

After every 10 hours of community engagement, your group’s Critical Reflection Facilitator – identified by you and trained and supported by OEI staff – facilitates reflection based on the “What? So what (Why)? Now what?” model with at least 75% of members who complete community engagement activities.
Your designated facilitator attends one meeting per semester. Once a semester, OEI staff will observe critical reflection to offer helpful feedback.

Getting Started

To get started, register for and attend the Orientation to Group Certificate, offered each semester. Before attending, speak with one or two other members of your leadership team, and consider who will serve as the core team and if there is a group or subgroup within your organization that might participate in the program. Your core team will include:

One person to commit to participating in and completing individual program
Two liaisons to our office (to hold three coaching sessions)
One Critical Reflection Facilitator

(Even before formally participating, you and your group members are encouraged to participate in our Foundations of Community-Engaged Learning.)

Group Eligibility

Any group of at least three students, with at least one undergraduate, can participate in the group program.

Group Funding

Groups are eligible to apply for $1,000 for their group project after taking action and holding their first critical reflection, typically in the second semester and after meeting all leadership education requirements.

Group Re-certification

After successfully earning the group certificate, a group has the opportunity to re-certify each year. By re-certifying, the group maintains a connection to the Office of Engagement Initiatives, receives specialized training on topics by request, engages in dialogue with leadership from other groups that have earned this distinction and can apply for up $1,000 annually.

Individual Certificate

Through the 2-stage individual program, you will build on your community-engaged learning and leadership activities from across campus.

Read about students who have completed the certificate.

Structure and Time Commitment

Earning the certificate takes approximately one year, depending on when you plan to complete your community-engaged leadership project. Before you apply to the program, you must have participated in an initial community-engaged learning experience at Cornell. You may have done this through a tagged CEL course, a project supported through the Serve in Place Fund, a summer internship or serving through a group participating in our group program. If you have questions about this step, meet with an Engaged Ambassador.

Stages

Community-engaged leadership project

Commit to one community-based project or social issue. This stage includes:

Participation in the five-week Frameworks of Community-Engaged Leadership series
80 hours of community engagement with one project or organization on a timeline you set with an Engaged Ambassador
4 written critical reflections, each after meeting with an Engaged Ambassador
Opportunity to apply for $1,000 for your project

Capstone

Develop a model of change, identify your mentorship family and create a post-capstone community-engaged leadership plan. This stage includes:

32 hours of reading, writing and dialogue over 7 weeks with 8-12 students who have completed community-engaged leadership projects, facilitated by Engaged Ambassadors
Opportunity to apply for a stipend up to $400, based on financial need
Post-capstone, an opportunity to apply for up to $500 for conference coordination or travel

Beyond the Capstone

Students who complete the program and earn the certificate are invited to participate in our network of community-engaged leaders. We invite recipients to consider leading a group through the group program or to apply to serve as Engaged Ambassadors. A team of about 12 ambassadors coordinate every aspect of the certificates and earn a work-study wage for their 8-10 hour weekly commitment.

Getting Started

To start the individual community-engaged leadership program, complete the application. If you have questions about our requirement of previous participation in community-engaged learning activities you can schedule a time to speak with an Engaged Ambassador.

Eligibility

Previous participation in at least one community-engaged learning experience while at Cornell.

Undergraduate students from any school or college can participate in the individual leadership program. Graduate and professional students who are working with undergraduates are also eligible for the program.

Completing the full program and earning the certificate takes approximately one year, depending on the timeline you set for completing your community-engaged leadership project.

Funding

Funding for the individual is available only to students who commit to completing the capstone. For more information, see what’s included in each stage.

For Current Participants

Useful links:

Questions?

Read about students who have completed the certificate.

Read about groups that have earned the certificate:

Black Students United – 2019
Dyson Students of Color Coalition – 2019
Early College Awareness – 2020, 2021
The Ecology House – 2019
Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association – 2021
Les Femmes de Substance– 2019, 2020, 2021
H/EOP Ambassadors – 2020, 2021
Ithaca Tenants Union Housing Hotline – 2021
Phi Delta Epsilon – 2020
Scholars in Our Society and Africa (SOSA) – 2020

Email engagedleadership@cornell.edu.

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