CCE Reflections

The CSU STEM VISTA This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. program focuses on eliminating race, class and gender disparities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) undergraduate degree programs.

The CSU STEM VISTA program funds CSU campus teams that aspire to improve STEM student retention and completion rates, primarily for students of color, Pell-grant recipients, women and students who are first in their family to attend college.

Peace around and within. -Sister Susan

More than a decade ago, I met Sister Susan while planning a silent meditation retreat at a local mission. Sister Susan always signed her emails with 'peace around and within.' The weight of these four little words have never left me. For each of us, I imagine they would mean slightly different things.

For me, these four words convey a sense of belonging to oneself, to others and mother nature. It serves as a gentle reminder and call to action for leading with intentionality, humility, passion and grace.

For the CSU Center for Community Engagement (COCCE) to be sustainable as an organization, we need to exercise our values of equity and inclusion, sustainable solutions, effectiveness and high-quality, and collaborative relationships toward ourselves, our team, and our partners. We have decided that COCCE is entering Core Operations Mode (COM) from December 13, 2021 through February 28, 2022 to meet our existing commitments while focusing on rejuvenation.

Response to the coronavirus has changed the way all of us do business. The CSU Center for Community Engagement is supporting campuses and community partners to navigate the changes with the use of technology, CalState S4.

As the CSU STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) VISTA program supports its 100th volunteer, we are launching a new initiative aimed to help alumni stay connected. Advancing the CSU’s commitment to inclusivity, equity and student success in STEM, each VISTA volunteer provided 40 hours per week for a full year in support of a specific campus program.

Community engagement experiences afford students opportunities to immerse themselves in the issues communities face and encourages them to learn from and serve alongside community members. These opportunities promote self-empowerment and life-long learning while providing high quality experiences of being academically engaged and authentically involved, thus becoming agents of change across all types of difference.