Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement
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FYE Community Engaged Learning (CEL) ProgramOverview: A Developmental RequirementThe College of New Jersey endeavors "to be an national exemplar in the education of those who seek to sustain and advance the communities in which they live." Consequently, along with fostering students' scholarly growth and their knowledge of broad sectors of human inquiry, the college places a strong emphasis on civic responsibility. These three pillars: scholary growth, human inquiry, and civic responsibility support TCNJ’s Liberal Learning program. To further promote civic responsibility within the college community, TCNJ established the Community Engaged Learning (CEL) Program. This program, when fully operational, will require each student to participate in approximately 25 hours of community engaged learning prior to graduation. These hours could include both curricular and co-curricular CEL (sometimes referred to as service-learning) experiences. The CEL Program is divided into two developmental levels enabling students to progress along a continuum from awareness, to understanding, to application. The first component is called the First Year (FY) Community Engaged Learning Program, or CEL I. The Second Component is referred to as CEL II. As part of the FY CEL program (which is fully operational) all students are enrolled in a non-credit course (IDS 103/First Year Community Engaged Learning) and complete a minimum of 8 hours of CEL “work.” They do so by participating in a CEL project that has been integrated into their first year seminar (FSP) course, or by attending one of the 50 CEL Days—single days of service and learning that focus on specific community issues. (More information on FSP CEL projects and CEL Days can be accessed via the links above.) The Second Component of the CEL Program or CEL II is not fully operational. It calls for students to complete approximagely 17 additional hours of community-engaged learning. These experiences will be more advanced, often fitting a student's academic major or minor. Nursing and Education students, for example, currently satisfy this component by completing required courses in their respective programs. Some students will satisfy their CEL II requirement by participating in a sustained co-curricular community engaged learning experience. Overall, the CEL program (both components) aims to help students think critically and inclusively about their society. It also provides opportunities for students to apply knowledge they gain from their courses within the context of everyday life, and in direct response to the expressed needs of the local community. Finally, CEL is focused on promoting a stronger democracy--one that includes more students who have a deeper understanding of the role of citizens and public institutions in democratic communities. For more information about the CEL Program, contact Patrick Donohue, Director of the Bonner Center, at 771-2362 or pdonohue@tcnj.edu. |
